Memory of a Memory
by The Writer with No Name
Summary: Before the fall of Hyrule, before the Calamity, Hyrule's Princess and her Hero did not see eye-to-eye. This is how they grew together, told through a memory of a memory. Semi-AU, pre-BotW. Gradual ZeLink.
1. Recklessness

_Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and all related characters are solely the property of Nintendo. I am making no money from this; I wrote it solely for my own amusement. Enjoy!_

CHAPTER ONE: RECKLESSNESS

 _Or: In which our Princess learns to be careful with the orders she gives, and her Hero learns that reckless courage can be double-edged._

" _And stop FOLLOWING me!_ "

As she'd strode away from the Shrine, the sound of Link's footsteps behind Zelda made her irritation flare to outright fury, and she'd whirled on the only one that she could heap her frustrations upon. At her shout, Link paused, his expression still infuriatingly blank, but his eyebrows had shot up in surprise. A twinge of guilt started to gnaw at her, but Zelda had been too irate to care. She'd grasped Tempest's reins, and her Castellan Silver mount had whinnied in complaint as she started to lead him to the road…but she paused as she heard the second set of hoof-steps behind her. "Was I unclear?" she snapped, turning around. "Must I repeat myself? Or are you simply insubordinate?"

Link and his horse – a beautiful white-maned, mahogany-coated mare named Epona – were following at a distance. This time, Link was unsurprised, and simply pointed to the road ahead, holding up his index finger as he did, arching a single eyebrow. It took Zelda a moment to understand: there was only one road leading off the ridge. He had nowhere else to go.

Zelda huffed, her cheeks burning. "Very well. You may accompany me at a distance until the road comes to a fork. After that, you will return to the Castle!" Closing his eyes, Link bowed his head in acceptance. Satisfied, Zelda turned back to Tempest, who seemed calm enough to ride now. She was about to hop on, but paused as she saw the other Champions arrive. With Lady Mipha as passenger, Lady Urbosa guided her horse to a stop, with Daruk rolling up next to her, while Revali touched down beside them.

After a quick dismount, Urbosa smiled at her. "You surprised us, Your Grace," she greeted. "We weren't expecting you to explore this ruin today. We would have accompanied you."

Zelda smiled back. "My apologies, Lady Urbosa. I simply couldn't wait."

Daruk chuckled. "We only got here because we saw the little guy racing out of the Castle gates; figured only one person could make him roll THAT fast!"

With a gentle smile, Mipha glanced to Link. "And you, Link?" she asked. "Are you well?"

Link answered with only a shrug and a low sigh, before he dismounted, walking to the edge of the nearby cliff.

"He is quite well, Lady Mipha," Zelda said, irritation creeping back into her voice. She turned towards her soon-to-be-departing Knight. "Sir Forester? Weren't you about to..?"

Facing away from her, Link shot his clenched left fist up so it was level with his ear, causing Zelda – and the other Champions – to freeze. Zelda had no illusions of military aptitude, but she could recall from her father's tales of his time in the Army that Link's gesture was the universal hand-symbol for "stop"…which was also synonymous with "shut up."

Her own Knight had just told her to be quiet.

Her eyes wide, Zelda felt her mouth drop open in shock…before her eyes narrowed with sheer indignation. "You…I…how _DARE_ you..?!"

Link's glaring eye over his shoulder stilled her shout, as his left hand pointed to the horizon. Urbosa was frowning, but her expression was wary. "Your Grace…I think Sir Forester heard something."

Link nodded, as he pointed again. Curious, Zelda stormed to Link's side to follow his hand, while remaining ready to punish his _insolence_ if this turned out to be nothing. Glancing in the direction of his pointing finger, Zelda spotted three figures – Hylians, a man, a woman, and a child – moving towards the treeline. "Three citizens," Zelda said. "This is why you..?"

Link's hand shifted left, to now point at a dozen Bokoblins on horseback, closing fast on the three Hylians, with one of them darting into the trees…as Zelda thought she heard a scream in the air.

As Zelda's ire began to wane, Mipha followed Link's pointing hand. "Oh, Nayru…Your Grace, we must do something!"

Daruk scratched his head. "No-one's arguing, Mipha, but what? On horseback, it'll take you a solid three minutes to catch up! At full roll, I could do it in two, but those people have one minute, maybe!"

Revali smirked. "I could be there in less than half of that," he boasted. "Give me a half-minute..!"

"…and those Bokoblin archers will fill you full of holes," Urbosa said. "You'd need backup, Revali."

Zelda felt her insides twist with anguish at the sight of her people in distress, but she didn't know what to do…

"Revali."

Zelda didn't recognize that voice at first – quiet, smooth, confident – until she realized it had come from her Knight. To prove it was no fluke, Link spoke again. "That "Gale" ability you squawked about; when I saw you use it, the updraft stuck around. Does it always do that?"

Revali frowned at the remark. "It does, but at this elevation, I won't require it to fly!"

"No, but I might need it to break my fall."

As Link walked to Epona, Mipha's eyes started to widen. "You're planning something."

The ghost of a smirk teased at the corner of Link's mouth. "You know me, Mipha."

Revali crossed his wings. "Oh? You intend to fly down?"

Link promptly fished a pair of goggles and a folded-up hang-glider from his saddlebag, looping the latter onto his back. "Glide, actually."

Revali's scowl turned to disbelief. "You're insane. You'd never reach them with a straight glide…"

"…which is why I'd dive to pick up speed and open up on them in midair. Hence, I need a break-fall."

Zelda was sputtering. "W-What are you..?"

Urbosa was frowning. "Sir Forester, I can understand your desire to aid these people, but your duty to Her Grace takes priority…"

"I'm afraid you're a bit behind, Ladyship." Link slipped the goggles over his forehead. "Her Grace had already told me to – perhaps in not so many words – go jump off a cliff. If I can oblige her AND aid these people, so much the better."

Surprise crossed the Gerudo Champion's face. "Your Grace?"

Zelda flushed. "I…th-that's not what I meant..!"

As Link lined up with the cliff's edge, stepping back to give himself running-room, Daruk's eyes widened. "The little guy's not going to…he wouldn't…"

Mipha shut her eyes in anguish and exasperation. "He _would_ **.** "

Fully aware of what her Knight planned to do, Zelda felt panic rush over her. " _NO!_ Sir Forester, I…I _forbid_ this! D-Do not even _THINK_ of it!"

Link simply slid the goggles over his eyes as he glanced her way, his hint of a ghost-smile causing her heart to skip a beat – in outrage, for there was no other reason – and he spoke to her for the first time. "Never do, Your Grace."

And with that, he broke into a full sprint, racing away from her towards the edge. Zelda couldn't react for that first second, but as her mind caught up, she screamed and tried to catch him, but it was too late. Link leapt off the edge and pulled his arms to his sides until he was arrow-straight, diving straight down.

Her hands flying to her mouth, Zelda felt her heart simply stop.

Revali bristled. "Crazy groundling..!" Flapping his wings, he took to the air, flying after Link, who had already gained considerable momentum from his dive. He was mere feet away from impacting the treeline – which birthed a second scream in the back of Zelda's throat – when he drew and snapped open his glider. The durable fabric caught the rushing air and pulled him forward and upward, to sail directly over the approaching Bokoblins…where he snapped it shut and put it back, drawing his bow in the same smooth movement.

The sight of her Knight in midair drew forth the scream Zelda had felt in her throat.

By the time Revali had caught up to him, Link was dropping, firing on the Bokoblins as he fell. His first shot took the leader dead between the eyes, knocking him off his horse and sending him tumbling into the path of two others, who swerved to avoid the crumbling corpse. Their evasive action forced them to move in the same direction, making them perfect targets for Link's double-arrow shot, which took them full in the chest and knocked them off their mounts. Diving fast, Revali conjured a gale as he zipped under Link, spiralling up with the wind to unleash a trio of shots that felled an equal number of dismounting Bokoblins, their pursuit of the family halted. Snapping open his glider, Link caught the updraft just a few feet before he hit ground, slowing his descent from killing speed to a mere snail's pace. His descent slowed, Link snapped his glider closed, rolling forward as he landed. Snarling, two Bokoblins charged at him, dragon-bone clubs drawn to bash him to death…

Zelda had just mounted Tempest, and was riding after Urbosa and Mipha with Daruk rolling ahead, when she saw, her mouth open in a third scream, but this cry died in her throat as she saw her Knight in action. When the Bokoblins were less than an arm's length away, Link moved, drawing the Master Sword and cleaving the first Bokoblin in half, all in one lightning-fast motion. The second one tried to halt its charge and raise its wooden shield, but Link had already grabbed its comrade's club with his free hand, pulling back for a throw; with a whip of his arm, Link threw the club like a boomerang, burying its sharp edge in the Bokoblin's forehead.

Visibly unnerved, the remaining three Bokoblins started to inch back, but Link had drawn his bow, along with three arrows that he fit to it all at once, and fired in a fraction of a second. The two Bokoblins at the flanks were felled instantly, but the center had managed to raise his shield. Undeterred, Link charged the remaining Bokoblin, kicking out against the shield and using it as a step, to somersault over it and draw his blade, splitting its skull in twain before he landed.

By the time Zelda, Urbosa, Mipha and Daruk were within shouting distance, it was all over. Revali touched down next to the two remaining Hylians, but his boastful smirk faded as the woman frantically gestured, at which point Link darted into the woods. With the situation apparently contained, Zelda felt her anxiety give way to fury at her Knight's antics. ' _Of all the brazen, hare-brained, irresponsible..!'_

As the rest of her party drew close, the two Hylians spoke again. "P-Please! You must help us!" the man begged.

"It's alright," Urbosa soothed. "You're safe now…"

"No! Y-you don't understand!" the woman wailed. "Our daughter ran into the woods…a-and there's one Bokoblin missing..!"

She was cut off by the distant howling chortle of a Bokoblin from the trees…followed by a child's scream. With a wail of anguish, the woman tried to run to the trees, but her husband stopped her, as the Bokoblin's laughter turned to a death-scream, followed by silence. For a few seconds, Zelda didn't dare breathe, until she saw movement at the treeline, before Link emerged from the woods, with a little girl of 5 sitting in the crook of his elbow as he gently shushed her, the girl's little arms thrown about his neck as she sobbed into his shoulder.

At that sight, Zelda felt much of her anger wane, as something in her chest softened.

Once he'd gotten close enough, Link let the little girl hop down, and run to her parents. " _M-Mommy!_ "

Weeping, the mother knelt to hug her. "A-Ayda!" she wailed, cuddling her close. "Oh, my little angel, thank the Three you're alright!" She looked up. "Th-Thank you, Sir Knight..!"

With a quiet smile, Link waved away the praise, and simply pointed to Zelda. Confused, the father followed his gesture…and his eyes went wide as he recognized her, dropping to his knees. "Y-Your Grace! P-Please forgive us!" he pleaded. "Did you send your Knight to aid us?"

Zelda was mildly taken aback. "Um…"

The mother was overjoyed. "Oh, bless you, Your Grace! Gods _bless_ you!"

Zelda did not know whether to praise her Knight or throttle him. She simply smiled graciously as she and Urbosa dismounted, and Urbosa ushered the three away.

Glancing to Revali, Link smirked. "Pretty sure I counted 9 down, Revali. What was your count?"

Revali's expression was sour. "Very well. I will admit you are somewhat useful with that blade, and _passable_ with a bow," he muttered. "That said, however, next time you can find your _own_ damned updraft."

"Sounds fair."

Daruk was laughing. "Din be praised!" he guffawed, giving Link a slap on the back that nearly knocked the wind out of him. "You may be crazy, little guy, but you're MY kind of crazy!"

Link coughed. "Thanks."

Mipha was frowning. "Link…I thought you promised me: no more harebrained stunts."

"I said no more _needless_ stunts, Mipha," Link countered. "If there's another way, I'll take it, but if an innocent family is in danger? All bets are off."

Mipha's frown waned. "Sometimes I do not know what I will do with you," she said, as she moved to hug him. "You frighten me, exasperate me, and make me proud of you all in the same breath."

Link grinned. "At least that much hasn't changed since we were kids."

With Urbosa busy giving directions to the nearest stable to the family, Zelda moved towards Link, her hands on her hips, her expression still cross. "Sir Forester? A word, please."

As Zelda marched away, she heard Link's sigh, and his response. "Well, Mipha, if I don't come back, at least you'll know who did it."

Zelda walked to the nearest single tree, waiting for her Knight to catch up before she rounded on him. "Are you utterly _insane?!_ "

Link was unphased by her fury. He simply looked as if he were pondering her query, before he held up his left hand, with his index finger and thumb the tiniest distance apart, as if to say "A little bit."

Zelda's ire grew. "Are you attempting to be funny, Sir Forester? You think disobeying your Princess is a _joke_..?!"

"How exactly did I disobey you, Your Grace? You bade me not to think of it, and I did not. You told me to return to the Castle, and I intend to do so once you are finished shouting at me."

As Link whistled for his horse, Zelda kept fuming. "You knew _exactly_ what I meant..!"

"Then you meant to order me not to save that family, Your Grace?" Link challenged. "If I offended you earlier, then I apologize; it was not my intent." His eyes narrowed. "If, however, you are expecting me to apologize for making sure that little girl didn't lose her family…I would advise you not to hold your breath, Your Grace."

He was right. Zelda absolutely hated to admit it, but Link was right. Still, royal pride demanded some small satisfaction. "You should have consulted me before you did anything!"

"There was no time, Your Grace. You heard Daruk: one minute at best. You have an excellent mind for research, but unless you have experience in operational planning that I don't know about, you can't plan that fast."

He'd parried her argument again. Zelda huffed. "Then from now on, we will devise hypothetical plans for possible emergencies as these, so that you do not leave me in the dark as you just did!"

Link nodded. "Of course, Your Grace," he conceded. He craned his head towards his approaching horse. "By your leave, I will return to the Castle. I will be certain to have a number of scenarios for your review…"

"You do _not_ have my leave to go," Zelda said firmly. "I might have commanded you to leave, but that was before I knew of your penchant for recklessness. What assurances have I that you will not dash into some other attempt at heroics without any thought of the consequences, thus forcing me to explain to my father what transpired?"

Link's expression was flat. "I apologize that you would be inconvenienced by my potential demise, Your Grace."

"Accepted." Zelda turned to go. "By now, I imagine Urbosa should have advised those travelers on the safest route."

Link nodded. "It's a long route, Your Grace. I can lend them some of my provisions."

Zelda frowned. "Thus requiring either the other Champions or myself to aid you?"

"Not at all, Your Grace. I was planning on a hunt-forage run, anyway. Give me half a day in the wilds and I'll have all I need for meals."

Zelda laughed haughtily. "I should very much like to see that, Sir Forester."

Link's low chuckle made Zelda's heart hop out of step. "Your wish is my command, Your Grace."

As her Knight strolled towards his horse, Zelda fought a huff of indignant fury. ' _The NERVE!_ ' she fumed. As if his disobedience was not enough, he was _cheeky_ about it! ' _That's JUST what I need! An attending knight who…who..!_ '

…who acted like all the Heroes before him: leaping into danger at a breath's notice, in defence of the innocent.

Frowning, Zelda shook her head to banish that fanciful thought, along with the burning of her cheeks that it evoked. ' _A madman! The Goddesses have given me a madman for a Hero! As if I did not have enough to worry about!_ ' she mused, striding after Link. ' _I only hope that his combat skills can keep up with such…utter recklessness!_ '

Despite her best efforts, however, Zelda found that she was having difficulty maintaining her ire…though the racing of her heart had no trouble lingering with thoughts of him.

 _Note: Hello again, my readers. As I'm sure you've noticed, I have yet to update my other works. Despite my best efforts, I am still too f# %ing slow. I hate myself even more for it (if that's possible)._

 _I am hoping to finally get a couple of genuine updates out before week's end (though it wouldn't be the first time I failed to live up to a promise). To show my appreciation for your patience – and as consolation in the event of my near-inevitable failure – I opted to upload this. As the name implies, Memory of a Memory is based on Link's memories in BotW, though it will expand on each one._

 _Thank you all again for your patience. God knows I don't deserve it._

 _Next Time (since "Coming Soon" is never true, anymore):_

 _Of Men and Mice (Or: In which our Princess learns more of Link's home life, and her Hero learns one of his Princess' more…embarrassing secrets._


	2. Of Men and Mice

CHAPTER TWO: OF MEN AND MICE

 _Or: In which our Princess learns more of Link's home life, and her Hero learns one of his Princess' more…embarrassing secrets._

After returning to the Castle from the day's expedition, and changing out of her riding garb and into her gown, Zelda promptly headed to her Study, to review her research…and give herself some much-needed solitude. ' _Thank Nayru that HE isn't following me, still._ '

The moment she thought it, Zelda felt even worse. Link had only been carrying out his duty, trying to keep her safe. With a shake of her head, Zelda banished those thoughts. ' _Regardless, he disobeyed my orders! I told him not to do as he did!_ ' A twinge of guilt pierced her heart. ' _Y-Yes, he did so to save that family, but that does not excuse..!_ '

The sound of clunking wooden swords – practice blades – outside her window made Zelda pause. For a moment, she was confused, until she recalled that Link often trained when he was on his own time. ' _He could not have chosen to train out of earshot?_ ' she quietly fumed, as she stormed out of her study, moving to the rail to give her Knight a piece of her mind…

…but the sight below her made her pause, her ire lost in the wave that crashed into her.

In the lower courtyard, Link stood in the training ring he'd crafted, the Master Sword sheathed upon his back, a wooden training blade in his hand…clad in nothing but his Soldier's Greaves, his Champion's Tunic folded neatly and placed to the side. Utterly relaxed, Link readied his sparring sword, waiting for his opponent's next move, a confident grin on his face, his leanly chiseled chest gleaming with exertion in the noon sunlight.

Zelda felt her face go warm, her heart hammering in her chest.

Across from Link, a boy of 11, 8 years younger than the Hero, with short blond hair and green eyes, clad in a padded tunic and cloth pants, brandished his own wooden sword before he charged at Link. With a fierce look, the boy charged at Link, unleashing a horizontal cut…which Link deflected with a downward block. His eyes wide, the boy paused, allowing Link to follow with a rising vertical slash that stopped just under his chin. "Never hesitate, Corben." Frowning, Corben pressed the attack, charging at Link to leap into a vertical slash. Leaning to the side, Link blocked high and at an angle, letting Corben's strike slide off, causing him to stumble past, while Link turned with him, to rest his blade on the back of Corben's neck. "But never let down your guard, either," he lectured. "Offensive tactics are meaningless if they cannot do the deed, especially if they leave you open!"

Corben huffed sourly as he got up. "I _know_ that, Brother!" In the same breath, he dashed at Link with a stab, but Link effortlessly swept it away, flicking his wrist with a return strike to slap Corben's forearm with the flat of his weapon. " _Ow!_ " the younger swordsman yelped, as his blade dropped onto his elder brother's toe, allowing Link to kick it away. Corben turned to run after it, which got him a poke in the rear from his brother's weapon. " _OW!_ Link..!"

Link was grinning unashamedly. "There's _two_ lessons, young squire: never turn your back on your foe, and the _only_ time you let go of your weapon in battle is when it's about to break and you're _throwing_ it!" As Corben retrieved his weapon, Link sat down on the edge of the fountain, picking up a book he'd left there – a treatise on warfare tactics, Zelda recognized. "Perhaps I might sit down? I fear I haven't your energy!" Ready again, Corben smirked triumphantly, and pressed the attack while his brother was distracted with his reading…but whatever advantage he'd hoped for proved illusory, as Link blocked all three of his brother's attacks, all while never taking his eyes from the page. "Be prepared to fight while distracted, little brother," Link said. "In the real battlefield, you must remain alert at all times!" His eyes moved to Corben's. "And so ends today's lesson!" Setting the book down, Link blocked Corben's fourth horizontal cut with enough force to cause him to pivot in the other direction, allowing Link to spin him into a head-lock, the edge of his wooden blade resting on Corben's neck. "Any questions?"

Corben sighed, and dropped his blade in submission. "Yes, Big Brother," he muttered. "Will I _ever_ be able to defeat you, someday?"

Link shrugged. "Who knows?" he teased. "You _are_ improving, Corben; you'll make a fine Knight, in time."

Corben brightened. "Then you'll take me on as a squire?"

Link chuckled. "You're getting ahead of yourself, Little Brother. You still have another year before you are old enough to be a squire. When you're 12, _then_ we'll worry about the fit that Lady Forester will throw when we petition His Majesty to let you squire for me."

Corben looked sad. "You think that Mother will object?"

"I _know_ it, Corben. As I said, we'll worry about that later… _after_ the Calamity is dealt with."

Corben nodded. "I know, I know. You have to finish looking after Princess Cranky before you can – _ow, OW!_ "

Link's remark about the Lady Forester – his mother – had piqued Zelda's curiosity, but it was drowned out by the fury that Corben's remark had evoked. ' _"Princess CRANKY?!"_ '

Zelda had been ready to storm down and give the little upstart a piece of her mind, but her Knight had beaten her to it. His expression utterly ireful, Link had snapped Corben's ear between his fingers faster than a Gerudan Cobra. "I _thought_ you knew better than that, Corben Forester!" he spat. "How _dare_ you speak of Her Grace that way! Who told you to call her that?!"

Corben winced. "N-No-one…"

"Then don't you say that again! _Ever!_ "

Corben nodded, prompting Link to let go. "But…but you _know_ it's true, Link!" Corben protested. "I've heard how she is! She's always _horrible_ to you! It's not your fault she can't make her stupid magic work! What's she even need it for, anyway? As soon as the Calamity sees how nasty she is, it'll run for its _life!_ "

Zelda felt her ire battle with guilt at those words.

" _Enough,_ " Link said firmly, sheathing his training blade and setting it aside. "It is not my place to question Her Grace any more than it is yours to insult her." His eyes narrowed. "I catch you saying things like that again, you will be running laps around the Castle in full armour with your sword held above your head for a _week!_ Am I thus clear?"

Corben gulped. "Y-Yes, sir."

"Good." Link relaxed. "Training is done for today. Go and get some water."

As Corben ran off, Zelda turned back towards her study, hugging herself as she walked. She didn't know what had surprised her more: that after everything, her Knight had defended her honor…or that Link had a brother. ' _He…he told me nothing of his family,_ ' she mused. ' _Why did he refer to his mother by name? Why did he not tell me that he had any siblings?_ '

Her heart knew the answer already: _because you gave him no reason to confide in you._

Zelda could only cringe at her inner critic. ' _I am hardly to blame! Before, he barely said two words to me! How could I have known?_ '

 _And so you thought cruel words would loosen his tongue? Look at you: the first Princess to ever drive her Hero to despise her._

Zelda shook her head to clear it; she was talking herself in circles, accomplishing nothing. She had research and training to take care of. Pondering her Knight's state of mind would do no good…

She had just walked back into her study when a tiny movement drew her attention to a corner. Curious, Zelda walked to it…and saw something that froze her blood in her veins, as her mouth opened in utter horror..!

ZZZZZZZZ

" _AAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!_ "

The second he heard Princess Zelda's cry, Link raced across the courtyard with all haste, bounding up the tower steps in moments and bursting into the Princess' study, his hand on the Master Sword's hilt. "Your Grace, what's wrong?"

Princess Zelda was standing on top of her desk, her eyes rimmed with tears of sheer terror as she pointed at a corner of the room with a small foot stool. " _Kill it, kill it, kill it, kill it, KILL IT!_ "

His heart clenching at the Princess' terrified scream, Link gripped the Sword, and strode to the corner, to peer under the stool. He'd wondered if something had slipped past the Castle defences – perhaps one of the breeds of Chu – but all he saw was a tiny mouse, nibbling on a crumb of the Princess' favourite fruitcake. "Your Grace…I see only a mouse. Whatever it was that you saw, it is gone…"

" _It IS the mouse! KILL it!_ "

Link knew that his expression was completely dumbfounded. Turning his head, he expected to find some indication that Her Grace was mocking him, but the Princess had clasped her hands as if in prayer, as she cringed away from the corner.

No-one was that good a faker; she was sincere. Princess Zelda was scared to death.

By then, the mouse had finished its snack, and started to scurry away, drawing another scream from the Princess. His hands moving by reflex, Link snagged the mouse by its tail and held it up, causing it to squeak with terror, which only seemed to frighten Princess Zelda further. The sight of her anguish made Link's heart clench all the more, but he didn't relish harming an innocent little animal. "Your Grace, would you be satisfied if I simply removed the mouse?"

" _I don't care! Just get rid of it before it bites me!_ "

With that problem solved, Link bowed to the Princess, before striding out, taking the tower back down to the garden. Kneeling by a bush, Link fished out a small scrap of bread from his Korok-ensorcelled travel-satchel and put it in front of the mouse as he eased it down. "Okay, little guy," he soothed. "It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you, but you can't bother the Princess anymore. You'll need to find food somewhere else."

As he'd expected, the mouse was oblivious, munching away. Link sighed, speaking more to himself. "I know, I know. It's not nice when a beautiful lady doesn't like you. Believe me, I can empathize," he added. Taking out a second crumb, he tossed it into the bush, and clapped his hands. "Go on, now! Shoo!"

With a squeak, the mouse ran away, into the bush. Satisfied, Link turned and headed back up the tower, where he found the Princess waiting by the rail. "It is gone, Your Grace. That mouse should trouble you no more."

Princess Zelda was much calmer, but her face was rosy, her arms crossed, her pretty lips in a pout. "You must think me childish and spoiled."

' _Oh, Farore. Tread cautiously, Ranger._ ' Link spoke with the best mix of truth and tact he could manage. "I confess, Your Grace, I am confused," he replied. "Perhaps it is not my place to ask, but…what in the Goddesses' Names did that little mouse do to upset you so?"

Princess Zelda turned away. "It is not what it did, but what it _would_ have done. It was going to _bite_ me! Just like the last mouse I saw did!"

Link was doubly confused. "What do you mean, Your Grace?"

Princess Zelda chewed her lip anxiously. "It was the year before my mother died. I found one of those… _things_ in the Library, and I took pity on it. I had a crumb of fruitcake left, so I gave it to the mouse. I had just reached out to pet it, and…and it _bit_ my finger!" She sniffled. "And the very next day I was so terribly sick; I was afraid I might _die!_ "

Now Link understood. "And you've disliked them ever since, Your Grace?"

Princess Zelda nodded. "I know that it is unlikely those events were correlated. I know that my feelings are unfair, and unreasonable." She cringed away. "And…and I cannot help it. No matter how I try, every time I see…one of those, unreasonable terror floods my veins!"

Link couldn't help but feel for her. "If I may, Your Grace, I know a recipe for a mouse-repellant paste. It's something my old unit developed to keep rodents out of our supplies. With an hour's work and a few supplies, I can make enough to line the edges of your study's floors. Your study might smell of pine for a few days, but you'll not see any furry cheese-lovers ever again."

The Princess started to relax. "That…would be very nice, Sir Link."

Link let out the breath he'd been holding. "By your leave, Your Grace?" At the Princess' nod, Link turned to go…

…but her voice stopped him. "Link?" Turning back, Link saw a pensive look cross that beautiful face. "I…I do not believe I ever said that…I disliked you." Another lovely pout crossed her lips. "Despite the fact that I might seem "cranky.""

' _Oh, FUCK._ '

Link hoped to the Golden Three _and_ Hylia that his mental expletive hadn't shown on his face. "You…you heard us, Your Grace?"

"Regrettably, yes."

Link slowly knelt. "I…I am _profoundly_ sorry for my brother's words, Your Grace. I do not know where he could have heard such things."

Princess Zelda's teeth grazed her lower lip in a stricken expression. "He could have gleaned it from any of my detractors in Court," she mused. "Compared to their not-so-veiled gibes, "cranky" is rather tame. I can…see why your brother would think as he does." She steeled herself. "With the Calamity drawing near, we do not have the luxury of always observing niceties."

"I would never say otherwise, Your Grace," Link agreed. "I have impressed that upon Corben. He knows the consequences of such insolence."

Link thought he saw the hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth. "Running laps around the Castle in full gear? I dare say even my Father would not be so harsh."

Link fought a snort of a laugh. "Some might say I am not harsh enough, Your Grace. In my earliest training, my drill sergeant had me marching in place holding my entire kit above my head while exclaiming that the odours on his breath were none of my concern."

The Princess' hand flew to her mouth. "I…I will take your word for it, Sir Knight," she said. "I bid you good day." With that, she turned and walked away.

Link let out a sigh of profound relief, as he walked back to the training ground. Corben was already waiting for him. "Brother?" he asked with a scratch on his head. "Did you hear something, a moment ago? It sounded like a little girl screaming…"

Link knew how to take calculated risks, but even _he_ knew when to cut his losses. "I heard nothing, Corben."

"Oh." Corben looked nervous. "I am sorry for what I said, Link."

"I am not the one that would have been insulted, Little Brother," Link said. "I know that Her Grace might _seem_ …somewhat prickly, but she is under extreme strain. She deserves our support."

The whole time, Corben's nose had started to scrunch. "Link…do you… _like_ her?"

Link sputtered. "W- _What?_ Corben, of all the ridiculous...!"

Corben gasped. "You…you _do!_ " he cried. "Link, are you _mad?_ Forget the fact that she's a Princess; she's a _GIRL!_ She's just…how can…I mean… _YUCK!_ "

Now Link had to chuckle. "You can rest easy, young squire-to-be. I would have to be a madman to try and fall in love with Her Grace." ' _And she would have to be madder STILL to fall in love with_ _ **me**_ _._ '

Corben wasn't reassured. "But…Mother often says you _are_ a madman…"

Link paused. "Uh…okay, bad example."

Corben's nose stayed scrunched. "Seriously, Brother! How can you even _think_ of…of _liking a GIRL?_ "

Now Link had to laugh. "I'll be sure to tell Mipha your opinion on the matter."

Corben crossed his arms. "She's our friend, Link; she doesn't count."

Link's laughter only grew. "You will understand one day, Little Brother."

" _Farore,_ I hope not," Corben pouted, before his expression turned worried. "Link?" he asked. "Why…why doesn't Mother like you?"

' _Because she never birthed me. Because our Father found me in the Hebra snows freezing to death. Because I am a throwaway child that she wishes he'd left to die. Because she needs someone or something to blame for the fact that he could barely stand her; how he endured her for so long, I'll never know._ ' All those answers readily rushed to Link's mind…but he could say none of them. "I wish I knew what to say, Corben."

Corben looked sad. "Is this one of those things that I'm supposed to understand when I'm older? Like why you never talk about your time with the Ranger Corps or the Armored Corps?"

Link forced a weary chuckle, to both reassure his brother and to quell the memories that threatened to loom over him. "Almost," he admitted. "With those last two, though, I'll tell you when you're old enough to _drink._ "

Corben just blinked. "I don't understand."

"Good," Link said. "We are done for today; go and change into fresh clothes." He gave a smile and a wink. "Otherwise, Stepmother will pitch a fit at me if I bring you home sweaty…which means no time later this evening."

Corben started to smile back. "Can we go put underwear on Lady Carvahn's statues?"

"Why? Has she been mean again?"

Corben nodded. "If she's not saying bad things about you, she's making fun of Princess Zelda! And her son Earl Bastian is even worse!"

That much Link had _no_ trouble believing. "Then you had best get moving, young Squire! It takes time to organize the Statue Garden Surprise!" With a whoop of delight, Corben ran off, leaving Link to himself by the fountain.

Alone again, Link let out the breath he'd been holding, as his memories washed over him. _Gerudo Desert. The Vah Naboris excavation. The Armored Corps getting the alert to repel the Yiga attack. Himself, ordering the three tanks and their crews into battle._

The last memory flooded him with guilt, as tears of grief burned his eyes. _Chip._

Trying to banish the memories, Link splashed fountain water on his face. ' _Stop it,_ ' he ordered himself. ' _You have a job to do. Push it down and be quiet. It's enough to be silly with Corben. The Princess needs a Knight, so add the Roughnecker and Treadhead parts of you together and make it fucking WORK.'_

With a shake of his head, Link pushed himself back into place. He had to stay focused. He'd failed Chip.

He'd be damned before he failed Princess Zelda.

 _Author's Note: Given that Spirit Tracks Zelda's mouse-phobia was comedy gold, I thought that our Zelda having something similar would be similarly charming, if explained in better detail._

 _Next Time:_

 _Training Day (Or: In which our Princess develops, for good and ill, a better understanding of her Knight's skill-set, and her Hero ponders his past and his future.)_


	3. Training Day

CHAPTER THREE: TRAINING DAY

 _Or: In which our Princess develops, for good and ill, a better understanding of her Knight's skill-set, and her Knight ponders his past and his future._

"…and we should be ready to launch our new expedition to Akkala within a month, Zellie. Please tell me you'll come!"

As she walked through the inner courtyard alongside her dearest friend, her gown exchanged for her riding garb, Zelda couldn't help but be lifted by Purah's enthusiasm. "I wouldn't miss it, Purah. If we time matters right, I should be in Akkala to pray at the Spring of Power by then!"

In her usual white robe-coat over her darker blue Sheikah combat-style garb, her long moon-white hair tied back in a bun atop her head, the Director of the Royal Ancient Technology Lab adjusted her glasses. "So Rho can't even raise a fuss about it! Wonderful!"

Her hands flying to her mouth – both in scandalized shock and to suppress a laugh – Zelda shushed her friend. "Purah, your _voice..!_ "

"Hm? Was I not loud enough?" Purah stuck out her tongue in a teasing smile. "And I assume you'll be taking Linky?"

By reflex, Zelda felt her mouth droop in a frown. "I…was hoping to go by myself," she confessed. "I'm sure he has other duties to attend to."

"Not according to your kingly father. Linky sticks even closer to you than Urdy does, back there."

Following her friend's pointing finger, Zelda glanced back, and was surprised to find Urdyn, the Court Poet, following them both, in his usual blue-white robe, carrying a scroll, his mid-length white hair tied back, a shy expression upon his face. "G-Good morrow, Your Grace…"

Zelda managed a faint smile. "And to you, young Master Urdyn," she greeted. "Was there something you needed?"

The Sheikah youth's face was nearly as red as his eyes. "M-Merely to see you, Your Grace. I had composed some poetry that might be put to music. W-Would you care to hear them?"

"Perhaps some other time," Zelda said absently, turning her attention back to Purah. "As I was saying, Purah, I will hardly need Link to accompany me. I will be fine on my own."

Purah sighed. "Still blaming him, huh?"

Zelda bristled. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Of course not. You'd never blame him for finding the Master Sword before you got your sealing magic in order. Clearly, he _chose_ to manifest the Triforce of Courage in advance of you getting Wisdom. The impertinence of him!"

Zelda huffed. "Some Princesses might take your tone as insulting, Purah."

Purah stuck out her tongue cheekily. "Good thing they aren't here."

Zelda folded her arms. "Can you blame me for being resentful that he simply happened upon his destiny, and never had to work a moment for it..?"

" _That's_ what you think?" Purah gasped. "Oh, Zellie…I love you to bits, but you can be such a _moron_ , sometimes." Zelda sputtered angrily, but Purah barreled over her. "Did you even _bother_ to read the file on him? I know Rho must have sent it to you, because I sent it to him."

Zelda half-recalled a personnel file placed in a pile of paperwork she'd received those few months ago, when she'd first learned that the Hero had appeared. "W-What was there to read?" she demanded. "And how did you come to have it?"

"Easy. You remember that one of the main units attached to my Lab is the 1st Armoured Corps, right? The unit that operates the three Heavy Armoured Rollers we excavated?"

Zelda nodded. "The units that your ancestors used as a template for the Guardian Stalkers?"

"That's them!" Purah said. "The thing is, before he got Knighted, Linky was their Commanding Officer; had been for 3 years!"

 _That_ surprised Zelda, sending her eyebrows to her hairline. "You…you are joking."

"Mm-mm." Purah shook her head. "I actually worked with him, Zellie. Your dreamy Knight took the one-tank ragtag band I used to work with, exercised some freaking initiative, and molded it into one of the most snap-happy, bum-bootingly effective frontline units in your Daddy's Army!" She giggled. "It was his team's performance with one tank at an exercise 3 years ago that made Rho formally bring all 3 into service! Linky was _supposed_ to demonstrate how a single tank could take a position held by a full cavalry brigade…but _instead_ , he and his team takes the position _ahead_ of the cavalry, and holds _them_ off!" She huffed. "He still won't tell me how he managed to get that roller across Lake Hylia ahead of Earl Carvahn's forces without using the Bridge!"

The mention of Bastian Carvahn made Zelda's stomach turn. "I thought that the Earl was…encouraged to resign from his commission."

"He was, Zellie. After that loss – and Bastian's reaction – your Dad suggested that he stick to courtly politics," Purah remarked. "Thank the Three for it! He actually commanded the Armoured Corps before Linky…and compared to Bastian, Link is a Three-sent _miracle!_ " She smirked. "Of course, Bastian absolutely _loathes_ him, both for beating him then and getting him booted out of command!"

Despite herself, Zelda was intrigued. "How did he manage that?"

Purah was more than a little smug. "You'd know if you read his file, Zellie. Just like you'd know that, before the Armoured Corps, Linky was in the Ranger Corps for 4 years, which was where he perfected those fighting skills you seem to think he was born with."

Zelda did the math in her head; Link was just about 3 years her senior, and if he'd been in the military for 7 years…her eyes went wide. "He joined at _12?!_ B-But…t-the mandatory minimum age of enlistment is 14..!"

"…unless you enlist as a Cadet, Zellie. That's the work-around he used," Purah corrected. "I was more surprised he joined at all. Given that Sir Ruston Forester was his father, and he'd been training him, you'd think that he would've been tapped for Knighthood _long_ before now."

Zelda was quite confused…and more than a bit guilt-stricken. "Why would he forsake Knighthood?"

"Beats me, Zellie," Purah said, as they reached the training grounds used by the Champions. Her smirk came back. "You can ask him yourself…when my Little Sis is finished, of course."

Glancing to one of the training rings, Zelda saw what she meant. In Sheikah combat garb, her hair tied back in a bun, Purah's younger sister by 3 years – putting her at Link's age – stood straight, a Windcleaver blade strapped to her back, her eyes shut, her expression tranquil. Across from her, in his usual garb – Champion's Tunic and Knight's Greaves – Link stood at the ready, the Master Sword foregone by the side of the ring, with a pair of smaller curved blades – similar in style to the Windcleaver – on his back. Like Impa, his wolf-blue eyes were shut. Urdyn's nose scrunched in disdain. "What is he _doing?_ "

"Same thing Impa is doing, Urdy: running the battle through his head," Purah said. "Impa described it to me once: by running through every possibility, skilled fighters can plan out a battle before they even draw a weapon. That's what those two are doing now, and whoever finishes first moves first." She sighed. "Or something. Impa's the snap-snappy bum-kicker in the family, not me."

Disgust filled Urdyn's face. "That surprises me not, Doctor Purah. I have heard the Lady Forester's words; he was a wild, unruly brat that grew into an even more ill-mannered brute. That he was Knighted is enough to turn the stomach!"

Zelda wasn't sure what surprised her more: the fact that Urdyn's voice – that composed such lovely poetry – could speak so hatefully…or that such vitriol had originally come from Link's own _mother._ "Why would she say such things?"

Before either Purah or Urdyn could answer, movement in the combat ring drew their gazes. Both Impa and Link's eyes snapped open – too close together to tell who looked first. Her hand grasping the Windcleaver, Impa was a blur as she darted at Link, drawing and slicing at him in one move…only for her blade to _clang_ against Link's twin swords, which he'd cleared from their sheaths a heartbeat ago. Angling his weapons just right, Link shoved Impa to the side, causing her to fall away from him, but Impa was back up instantly with a low sweeping slash that Link backflipped away from.

Zelda did not know why, but time seemed to _slow_ as Link evaded the strike; in even less time than Impa's recovery, he had landed, charged, and unleashed a flurry of strikes. Barely able to raise her guard, Impa struggled to block each strike with her Windcleaver, until the longblade could take no more. At the last strike in Link's flurry-combo, Impa's sword shattered, giving Link the opportunity he needed to step in, resting one sword next to her neck.

It was over.

As she fought to catch her breath, Impa frowned. "Very well. I will admit that your proposed metalworking process has potential."

Link softly chuckled, as he sheathed his blades. "Well, that's a start," he replied, as he helped pull Impa to her feet.

Zelda folded her arms as Purah hurried over. ""Potential," Little Sis? I'd say Linky just made Windcleavers obsolete!" she exclaimed. "Why didn't you _tell_ me you knew metalwork? Robbie's going to have a fit!"

Link shrugged. "Well, Doctor Purah, before now, my metallurgical expertise was limited to hull-work procedures on the Rollers. This was my first slice at weapon-smithing," he said. "I had no idea how it would turn out."

"Well, now we know!" Purah laughed. "This Eight-Fold process could revolutionize how our folk make blades, Linky!"

" _Possibly_ , Sister. We need to run more tests," Impa cautioned.

Purah rolled her eyes. "So sceptical! I swear, I wonder if we _are_ sisters!"

Impa snorted. "As do I."

As Link glanced her way, Zelda quickly looked away. Despite her newfound knowledge, she wasn't interested in talking; not when he had _no_ idea of what she faced, or even what it felt like to be thought of as a failure, even once. Thankfully, she was spared the indignity by a velvety voice that had ever been a source of comfort. "Well fought, young wolf _,_ " Urbosa remarked, as she, Mipha, and Daruk walked onto the sparring floor. "And you devised the process that made those swords?"

Link shrugged. "You spend a few years hammering on the hulls of Armoured Rollers, Ladyship, and you pick up a few things."

Mipha giggled. "I'm not surprised at all. You've always been smarter than you let anyone think; even yourself, Link."

" _Maybe_ when it comes to combat and weapons, Mipha. I have _no_ scholarly illusions whatsoever."

Daruk's laugh boomed across the courtyard. "And don't forget food, little guy!" he chortled. "I've seen you at cooking pots! Every time you toss some new combination on there, you jot it down on that notebook you keep in that satchel of yours!" His expression turned mildly nauseated. "I just wish you'd crunch on something _healthy!_ Meats, fruit, vegetables…seriously, little guy! How are you supposed to keep up your strength without a good meal of rock roast?"

Link's smile turned sheepish. "I'm…actually trying to cut down on the minerals, Lord Daruk."

"Just Daruk, little guy," Daruk answered. "Alright, it's your loss."

As Link let out a sigh of relief, Zelda found she couldn't blame him. The one time she'd let Daruk badger her into trying Goron cuisine had left her gagging for hours afterwards. The resulting lump in her stomach had lingered until the next morning…to say _nothing_ of what had come of _that_ trip to the lavatory. The less she thought of it, the better.

Urbosa's smile turned sly, which lifted Zelda's spirits – she knew what that look meant. "You fight well enough with two swords, yet you seem more at ease with the Evil's Bane," she observed. "Still, I wonder: _how_ well do you wield it?"

Link hardly seemed intimidated, which was a mistake _many_ made, Zelda knew. "Well enough."

"Oh?" Urbosa asked. "Well enough to test it?" She reached to her back, to pat the hilt of her Scimitar of the Seven. "And a friendly wager?"

Link arched an eyebrow. "What kind of wager, Ladyship?"

"Oh, nothing grand," Urbosa said. "Merely a round of Noble Pursuits, on our next visit to Gerudo Town."

Link pondered that for a moment…and then smirked. "May I propose a counter-wager, my Lady?" he asked. "With Mipha and Lord…and _Daruk's_ permission, I would spar all _three_ of you. Simultaneously. If I am defeated, I will buy a round of drinks for _all_ of you."

Mipha gasped. "L-Link..!"

Daruk scowled. "Be serious, little guy. "Noble Pursuits"?" he repeated. "You might as well give a Goron a glass of water."

Urbosa huffed. "Next to what, Daruk? The lava-sludge sold at Darmon's Bar and Stone-Grill?"

" _Hey!_ Darmon's Mountain-Blood is a Goron specialty!"

Fighting laughter, Link quelled the argument. "I will only buy the drinks, Daruk; what those drinks are is completely your choice," he said. "If, however, I best the three of you, I'll collect one drink from _each_ of you."

Daruk was grinning, Mipha looked chagrined, but Urbosa's resonant laugh stilled any objections. "We accept your terms, young wolf," she said, a knowing glint in her eye. "Though you may regret it."

Link met her smirk with her own. "I could say the same to you, my Lady."

Mipha's smile was guilty. "Link, just because we are friends does not mean we will take it easy on you."

Link's smile turned genuine. "I would hope for nothing less, Mipha."

Daruk chortled. "Okay, little guy: enough talk!" he boomed. "I figure the rules should be simple: you get knocked out, disarmed, or knocked out of the ring, you lose! That sound good?"

Link nodded. "Works for me."

Urbosa's sly smile turned truly feral. "Then we are all agreed," she purred. "In that case, let us begin!"

Her Scimitar cleared its sheath in a fraction of a second, flashing as it sliced the air towards Link, but Zelda's Knight had been waiting for the ambush. The Master Sword was already in his hand to parry Urbosa's horizontal cut and push her blade away. With his personal space a bit less crowded, Link was able to sweep-block Mipha's stab with her Trident to the side, before he had to duck under the swinging Boulder Breaker. As Daruk recoiled from his swing, Link stepped on the back of his right knee and leapt off, somersaulting to the middle of the ring, giving him all the room he needed.

Zelda frowned, and folded her arms. ' _Now he's just showing off..!_ '

Flowing around her comrades like water, Mipha was the first to close on Link. Her Trident flashed silver as she thrust at him, but Link again brushed it aside. Already recovering, Mipha stabbed again, but this time Link's blade blocked between the prongs of the Trident. Mipha giggled, as she spun the shaft in her hands, locking the weapons together. "Got you!"

Zelda had to smirk at that. ' _Finally! Now he'll see what it feels like to be a complete..!_ '

"Oh, _do_ you?" Link quipped back, his unshaken confidence quelling Zelda's surge of triumph. Shifting his right hand, Link grasped the tip of the Master Sword and used it as a lever, leaping forward to push Mipha back. As Mipha's grip slipped, Link took devastating advantage of her imbalance. Leaping forward again, he somersaulted over her Trident, flipping his blade free and planting his feet on the shaft of the Trident in one move.

As Link pinned her weapon to the ground beneath his feet, Mipha was too stunned to react as Link play-sliced down, resting the edge of the Master Sword inches from her throat. Flipping his toe under the Trident, Link kicked the weapon up, caught it, and threw it out of the ring. "You want it?" he teased. "Go ring yourself out."

Mipha pouted and put Zelda's opinion to words. "Show-off." Her ire turned to horror as she looked behind Link. "Link, look _out..!_ "

Turning, Link was barely able to block the swing of Boulder Breaker, the force of the strike driving him back to the edge of the ring. Daruk chortled, and hefted Boulder Breaker over his shoulder. "Nice moves, little guy, but it'll take more than that to knock the Chief of the Gorons around!"

After taking a few moments to steady himself, Link regained his calm. "Duly noted," he replied, before that infuriating half-smile crossed his face. "Fortunately, I _have_ more than that: the weakness that every Goron possesses!" Brandishing the Master Sword, Link charged at Daruk, who wound up for another swing…but as Daruk struck, Link dipped back, sliding under Boulder Breaker, to pop up behind the Goron Champion. To Zelda's utter astonishment, Link _sheathed_ the Master Sword, and pulled off one of his wrist-bindings from under his arm-guard. As if he had not done enough to stupefy her, Link ran at Daruk, flipping open the cloth strip as he did…

…and _ran up_ Daruk's back, perching himself directly between the rock-skinned giant's shoulder blades, which sent Daruk into a flailing panic. " _H-HEY!_ Little guy, what gives..?!"

Link chuckled. "As I said: the weakness of _every_ Goron!" he declared. "Gorons can't scratch their backs!" And with that, he looped the cloth over Daruk's eyes, blinding him. Daruk's flailing grew more frantic, causing him to lumber dangerously close to the edge. When he was a hair's length away, Link kicked off, landing on his feet, which sent Daruk toppling over.

Grumbling, Daruk got back on his feet. "Real funny, little guy."

Zelda found that she shared Daruk's sour mood. Purah was no help whatsoever. "Well, that's 2 out of 3 for Linky," she remarked. "And don't look now, Zellie, but your Knight seems to have gained a few admirers. Hope you're not jealous…"

Glancing in the direction that Purah craned her neck, Zelda had to roll her eyes at the sight of some of the ladies of the Royal Court…all of whom were sending yearning gazes towards Link. "Hardly, Purah," she said, as she felt a thrill of what could only be triumph surge through her. "I think his streak is about to _end._ "

With the field cleared, Urbosa chuckled softly. "And so you leave me for last, young _voe?_ I wonder if I should be insulted."

Link shrugged. "Standard tactics, my Lady. When facing a group of less-skilled opponents, taking out their strongest member demoralizes the rest. If, however, said strongest member is equally skilled – or more – you take out the lesser threats _first._ "

Urbosa arched a scarlet eyebrow. "So which am I, I wonder?" she asked. "Equally skilled? Or more?"

Link's gaze was as fierce as hers. "Why, I don't know, my Lady. Shall we find out?"

Urbosa's grip on her Scimitar tightened, as her viperish smile crossed her face. "Yes. _Let's._ "

Zelda couldn't tell which one moved first. Both her surrogate mother and her Knight seemed to be a few feet away one moment, and then at crossed swords the next. Deflecting Link's vertical cut with a horizontal block, Urbosa blurred into a spin to parry his follow-up strike with Daybreaker. Barely seeming to lose his footwork, Link back-flipped to evade Urbosa's whirling double-slice, her Scimitar cleaving the air just under his feet.

Zelda knew it must have been a trick of her vision…but once again, it almost seemed that everything save Link seemed to be in slow-motion.

Whatever it was, the illusion faded the moment Link was back on his feet. Shifting his stance, Link closed on Urbosa again with a barrage of advancing stabs. As the first connected Daybreaker, Urbosa attempted another parry, but Link had already been withdrawing the Master Sword for another strike, giving the parry little effect. The stab-strikes came one after another, battering Urbosa's shield and leaving her little time to repel each one. After what must have been a dozen strikes, Link brought the last up short, to pivot into a horizontal slash that forced Urbosa to block harder…which was what Link had been waiting for.

Before Urbosa could lower Daybreaker, Link slammed his shoulder against her shield, stunning her long enough for him to launch into a vaulting leap-slash, his blade slicing the air just beside her ear…which could just as easily have split her skull. Realizing her foe's plan a hair's breath late, Urbosa pivoted to block Link's finishing neck-slash, but Hyrule's Hero had already anticipated that. His sword struck Urbosa's Scimitar not on the blade, but just above the hilt, shaking her grip enough for his return strike to envelop the blade and whirl it out of her hands, sending it skidding across the floor and out of the ring.

Zelda felt her heart stop. She couldn't be seeing what she was seeing.

As Urbosa caught her breath, she arched an eyebrow at the sight of Link keeping his sword at the ready. "Why are you uneasy, young _voe?_ Victory is yours."

"So it would seem," Link admitted. "And when I lower my sword, you have the perfect chance to draw the short blade you hide behind your shield."

Urbosa did not react. "I know not what you mean."

"I know the weight of a sword when I strike one, Ladyship, and the weight of a shield as well. Daybreaker impacted as though it had the weight of both."

Urbosa frowned…and drew the smaller scimitar she'd hidden in her shield. "I see the Master Sword did not choose a fool." She shifted Daybreaker, flipping the strap to her wrist…and freeing her hand. "Well, I must say I enjoyed this, bold Knight…but the time for play is over."

As her fingers pressed together, Zelda knew it was done. No-one could withstand the Fury of the Gerudo Champion; she knew that for a fact…

…and apparently, so did Link.

His expression mildly panicked at the sight of Urbosa's fingers readying her fatal blow, Link's eyes flitted about the ring…and settled on a lone pebble, knocked loose by the fighting. Grabbing it, Link aimed, pulled back, and threw. His aim was miraculous, as the pebble struck Urbosa's wrist before she could snap her fingers, spoiling her lightning-strike. That was irksome, but Zelda knew that Link was delaying the inevitable. In a few moments, Urbosa would end the fight.

Except Urbosa did not _have_ moments.

It all happened too fast for Zelda to see, let alone comprehend. She could make out a flash of pale blue-green light, a wave of shadow…and then it was over.

One moment, Link had been steps away from Urbosa…and the next, he had half-stepped past her on the left, with the Master Sword's edge resting upon her throat. A single twitch of Link's wrist would have ended her.

Zelda couldn't breathe. ' _N-No..!_ '

Urbosa was just as surprised, if not more. "I was not aware," she said slowly, "that you had your own little trick."

Link was panting, partially out of breath. "It's not…something I use often," he managed to say. "I still haven't figured out exactly _how_ I do that, or where it comes from. It just seems to happen when I'm in dire straits…which your Fury _definitely_ counts as, Ladyship."

Urbosa snorted. "I supposed I should be flattered, young wolf," she remarked, as she dropped her blade. "That was my only other weapon. I yield."

Stepping back, Link frowned as he sheathed the Sword. "Why do you call me that?" he asked. "Have you heard my callsign?"

"No."

Link's frown grew. "Then why?"

Urbosa shrugged, as she retrieved her equipment. "Perhaps one day you will figure that out."

Link's eyes narrowed at that, but Daruk's booming laugh drowned out whatever he planned to say. "You really are full of surprises, little guy!" he guffawed, giving Link a pat on the back that likely could have staggered a Golden Lynel. "Remind me not to go up against you, next time!"

Link winced, coughing as Daruk's back-slap knocked the wind from his lungs. "Duly noted."

Mipha was fretting. "This ability of yours, it does not hurt you?" Her hands were aglow, ready to mend him if need be. "You are alright?"

"It's nothing that a brief sit-down and a healthy meal won't fix, Mipha. I am fine."

Mipha frowned. "In other words, a normal soul would need a day's rest and a banquet-sized meal, knowing you."

Link's grin was sheepish. "You may be right about the second one."

Zelda could not bear to hear more. Between three of her Champions fretting over him, the nearby noble ladies sighing and swooning, and the fact that Link had bested Urbosa…it was all just too much. Turning away, Zelda raced back into the Castle, heading for her study with all haste, trying to fight the burning in her eyes. Even when she was safely in her innermost sanctum, she could barely breathe. All her life, all throughout her endless wave of failures, she'd had one certainty in Urbosa; she'd had the safety of the knowledge that her mother's dearest friend – who had acted as her mother after the late Queen's passing – could never be bested. And now..!

"Little bird?"

Urbosa's use of her mother's fond name for her did not bring the comfort it often did. "I fear I am getting too old to race you," she said, her tone coaxing. "If you wish to race, could you tell me first?"

Zelda had to force her breathing to steady before she turned around. "How did he do it?"

Urbosa's only reaction was an arch in her ruby eyebrow. "Pardon me?"

"Link. How did he cheat, just then?" Zelda demanded. "Did he use some forbidden art? Did he sabotage your equipment before the match? You must have seen it! Tell me, so that I can have him punished for that false victory..!"

Urbosa's frown quieted her tirade. "Princess, your efforts to find fault where there _is_ none does neither you nor Link any good," she scolded. "Link did nothing wrong…"

"He _must_ have! That's the only explanation!" Zelda cried. Her eyes began to sting. "How else could he have beaten you? You…you _can't_ be beaten! He _must_ have..!"

"I _cannot_ be beaten?" Urbosa's tone was incredulous, but turned soothing. "Oh, my little bird, the day I think _that_ fallacy is the day that I am cut down, and rightfully so."

Zelda sniffled. "That is what I always knew," she hiccupped. "All my life – all through m-my endless failures to awaken my power – I had that one truth! I a-always knew that you would always triumph, and… _and Link TOOK that from me!_ "

As Zelda buried her face in her hands to hide her tears, Urbosa moved to bundle her into a hug. "Oh, my sweetness…you should have told me you held that illusion long ago," she soothed. "I would have disabused you of it far more gently than today. Still, little bird, better to learn it on a training ring than against a _real_ blade." She winked with a gentle smile. "I am quite mortal, dear girl. Like it or not. Link had nothing to do with that. If anything, he helped me ready myself against a real blade that might have otherwise truck home…"

"I _don't_ want to hear his name!" Zelda shouted, pulling away. "I don't want to _see_ him! I just…I just want him to _go AWAY!_ He'll never understand! He'll never know what it is to be an utter failure!" She turned away. "How _can_ he?"

To that question, neither she nor Urbosa had an answer.

ZZZZZZZZ

' _Din take it, I need a drink._ '

After the end of training – and watching Her Grace run away, obviously upset – Link knew that there was little left he could do today. Once he'd said his farewells to Mipha, Daruk, and Lady Urbosa – and thanked the Three that Revali had opted to train at his private shooting range; the less he had to deal with Master Blabberbeak, the better – Link packed up and headed into Castle Town. Specifically, he made for his old unit's watering-hole of choice: Thelmina's Bar and Grill, widely famed for its perfectly-malted, expertly hopped ales, its cuts of meat grilled to delectable perfection…

…and for the fact that its owner and namesake – who spent her daylight hours as matron of the two finest orphanages in Castle Town and Necluda province – could – and _would_ – take a frying pan to the skulls of any dumbfuck who started causing trouble in her establishment. " _Link,_ honey!"

Link had barely taken two steps into the bar when he was smooshed in a hug from the woman who was more a mother to him than Lady Forester could _ever_ be…not that Her Ladyship set the standard that high. "Hey, Mama Thelmie…"

As tall as Urbosa was from her mother's Gerudo blood, but with greater curves and shorter scarlet hair, Thelmina stepped back to playfully bop him on the head with her soup ladle. ""Hey, Mama Thelmie"? That's all I get after you being away for the past six months?"

He'd had a feeling that she'd give him a hard time about that. "Sorry, Mama Thelmie. It wasn't on purpose! After the whole incident at the Vah Naboris excavation, the _King_ essentially ordered me into the Lost Woods to find the Master Sword! Ever since then, I've been tasked with following Her Grace..!"

Thelmina frowned and folded her arms. "…not that she's the least bit grateful for that, if what I'm hearing is true."

Link groaned. "Mama…"

"I know, I know: don't speak ill of the Princess when you're around! I've heard _that_ much, too!" Thelmina added, as she smirked. "Little Corben was in a panic after your session with him. He thought you'd have him march all around the Castle with his gear held above his head, like Sergeant Stalwin made _you_ march!"

Link chuckled wryly. "Hey, it worked, didn't it?" His expression turned serious. "And how's Marin?"

Thelmina sighed. "Physically fine," she answered, "but she still hasn't made a beep since you found her and brought her to the Castle Town Home."

' _Din blast it._ ' Link sighed. "I'll see if I can stop by tomorrow; she at least _seems_ happier when I visit."

Thelmina smiled and rubbed his cheek with her thumb. "Three bless you, baby," she said, before she moved back behind the counter. "The usual for you?"

Link grinned. "I dunno, Mama. Feeling a little peckish…"

Thelmina laughed. "Oh, Goddesses! I'm going to have to refill the entire stockroom, then!"

Link frowned. "I am _not_ that bad," he grumbled. "I'll start with a couple Meat Skewers, and a mug of Castille Amber."

Thelmina winked. "Keep it to just a few Skewers, honey; my kitchen budget can't take much more," she teased. "I'll have your ale in a moment. In the meantime, why not say hello to a few familiar faces?" She craned her neck towards a back table – his old unit's table of choice. "Your core crew is still waiting on their meals. I'm sure they'd love to see you."

Link froze. "They're…they're here?"

"Same time, every week – as if you didn't know!" Thelmina half-laughed, half-scolded, before she playfully shoved him towards the table in question. "Now get moving!"

"Okay, okay!" Walking forward, Link got a better look at exactly who was at the table: the 5-man crew of Roller One – the very heart of the 1st Armored, the ones who he'd started with before the King brought all 3 Rollers into service – all still in their grey-black combat slacks, black short-sleeved tunic shirts and grey-black jackets, their dark berets set to the side. Directly facing Link was Sergeant Leonas "Hardass" Hardin, his overall Second-in-Command, as well as Roller One's 1st Turreteer, and pretty much the biggest Hylian Link had ever seen. Built like an auburn-headed, brown-eyed Goron, but sharper than anyone in the Officer corps – not that that said much, given how the upper ranks tended to be stuffed with pompous nobles like Bastian Carvahn – at 35, Leonas had seen it all, and had more experience with the Rollers than anyone. That savvy had helped Link get his bearings in his early years.

To Leonas' right was a young Hylian woman of 19, same age as Link, lithe and toned, with pixie-cut black hair brushed over her left eye, her right grey eye wide and alert, with Master Corporal chevrons on her jacket shoulder – Skye "Duchess Deadeye" Waters. Like Link, she'd started in the Rangers…and was, without a doubt, the deadliest sharpshooter he'd seen in his life, making her the perfect fit for Main Gunner. Revali might have thought himself the best archer in Hyrule…but really, he was jockeying for second-place, at _best._

To Skye's right was a young Hylian man of 19, with Corporal's stripes – the same as the rest of the crew – with short straw-colored hair and green eyes, grinning as he made a comment that made Skye swat him on the shoulder. ' _Same old Walsky,_ ' Link thought. A relatively recent recruit, Cidney "Machine" Walsky – his choice of callsign since "Love Machine" wasn't acceptable – was as prone to making wisecracks – and shameless flirting – as any civilian, but when the Lynel shit started flying, he was a crack shot as 2nd Turreteer.

On Cid's other side, letting out a long-suffering groan, was another Hylian man of 25, a bit taller than Link, of average frame, his brown hair cut short, and his blue eyes hard. Aidyn "Saver" Havers was as dour as Cidney was jovial, which Link couldn't fault him for, since Havers doubled as the 1st Armored's Medic as well as Roller One's Engineer…which was surprising, if one knew a bit about his background. Originally from one of Hyrule's prestigious noble families, Aidyn had been well on his way through medical school…until _something_ had made him drop out, cut ties with his family, and sign up with the Hyrulian Army. To this day, none of them knew what had happened; all Aidyn had ever said when asked was, " _Not enough beer in Hyrule to get me drunk enough to bring THAT up._ "

In the last seat, the now-youngest member of the 1st Armored sat, silently as always. At 17, Sha'ed – a survivor of a Yiga attack on one of the earliest expeditions, thanks to Sergeant Hardin – rarely spoke, which gave rise to his callsign of "Whisper." His ability to operate the Sheikah technology of his ancient ancestors, however, spoke volumes, which was why he was always planted in the Driver's seat of Roller One.

Seeing his old comrades there, talking amongst themselves as they always did, brought back an endless wave of memories – good and bad. Part of Link wanted to talk with them, but he didn't know how to start, after all that had happened since the 1st Armored had been called up to protect the Vah Naboris excavation…and Chip's…

Mercifully, Thelmina's shove took the guesswork out of anything. The fuss she'd made had been enough to draw Leonas' eye towards him. His reaction was automatic. "1st Armored: atten- _tion!_ "

At once, the other four shot to their feet. Link chuckled and returned his 2IC's salute. "At ease, Sarge."

As the five of them relaxed, Cidney grinned. "Good to have you back, Sir!" he said. "I'm confused, though: do we call you "Sir" as in "Captain," or "Sir" as in "Sir Knight?" According to Doctor P, you're still Roller Commander…but that big glowy sausage-chopper on your back tells a different story."

Aidyn snorted. ""That big glowy sausage-chopper". Thank you for the casual blasphemy, Walsky."

Link had to fight laughter. "Well, Walsky, as far as I know, I'm still the CO of the 1st Armored. Until His Majesty or the Princess says otherwise, I'm going to act on that."

Skye gave her famous half-grin. "Yeah, Boss? And how _is_ that big Hero thing working out?" she asked. "Scuttlebutt is that Her Graceless has been giving you shit day-in and day-out!"

" _Watch_ it, Waters. That's your future sovereign you're talking about," Leonas warned. "Goddesses forbid, if something actually happens to His Majesty, Princess Zelda could be _Queen_ , tomorrow."

Skye frowned. "If she becomes Queen tomorrow, I'll see you fuckers in _Holodrum!_ " she retorted. "You know it's true, Sarge! Everyone in the Army from the Shinies to the Roughneckers and back again knows how Princess Zelda uses Captain Forester as her personal verbal punching-bag! If that's how she treats her supposedly-personal Knight, then I am _not_ sticking around to see how she treats the rest of us! She can take my resignation, and _I'll_ take my back-pay and be on my way!"

" _Enough._ " Link's order left no room for discussion. "You don't have the whole story, Waters. I don't want to hear you say that shit ever _again_. You copy?"

Skye sighed. "Copy."

"Good. If you have energy to make those comments, then you're not working hard enough."

Cidney grunted. "You're not wrong there, Boss. Ever since Vah Naboris and…and everything, we've been rotated back to the Royal Ancient Tech Lab to help Doctor Purah process all the data from the last few years," he said. "Which translates to us shining lab chairs with our asses."

Link felt his jaw clench, as he articulated what he'd been thinking – more so after seeing the Princess run from him today. "Maybe I can help with that."

Leonas arched an eyebrow. "You know something, Sir? Any missions in the pipeline?"

"Not that anyone's told me," Link replied. "But I've been thinking that…maybe I'd be in a better position to serve with the 1st Armored than chained to Her Grace's side."

 _That_ got their attention. "Come again, Captain?" Aidyn asked. "Weren't you appointed by the King himself?"

"Yes," Link agreed, "but I checked the regs, and there is nothing preventing me from, after careful forethought, relinquishing my Knight's rank and returning to my original unit. His Majesty might be a little miffed, but he's an old cavalryman – if I draft my request soldier-to-soldier, he might hear me out."

"Okay…but _why?_ " Cidney asked. He grinned. "You've _seen_ the Princess, right? If it were me, I wouldn't mind getting yelled at by a pretty lady…"

Skye snorted. "Yeah, because that's the _only_ way women talk to you."

Link sighed. "I just…I have a better idea of what Her Grace is dealing with now," he answered. "I thought maybe I could help, but…it's starting to look like me being nearby is just upsetting her and making things worse." He shrugged. "And I checked a bunch of the old legends: most times, the Hero and the Princess of past ages didn't really team up until near the end."

Skye smirked. "And I'm sure _those_ Heroes appreciated the peace and quiet…"

Link glared at her. "One more comment, Master Corporal, and it'll be supplementary combat training for a _month._ "

That made everyone freeze. "For Goddesses' _sakes_ , Waters, _please_ shut up!" Cidney whimpered. "I'm still sore from the time we did the Hit Pit Drill seven months ago!"

Skye didn't argue. "Shutting up."

"Good." Link took a breath to calm down. "I still haven't completely decided, but…any chance you Treadheads wouldn't mind a soon-to-be-former Shiny rejoining this outfit?"

Leonas grinned. "Considering that said ex-Shiny-slash-ex-Roughnecker is packing the Goddessdamned Evil's Bane _and_ is the same SOB that led us out of the dark days of having Fancy-Pants Carvahn as a CO and made this unit the best damn frontline unit the King has? Damn straight we wouldn't mind, _Sir!_ "

With a faint smile, Sha'ed nodded, and added his two Rupees' worth. "We never thought you left."

Link's smile relaxed. "Thank you," he said. "So, what have I missed?" He chuckled. "Has Doctor Purah thought of any new ways to get us to tell her how we got Roller One across Lake Hylia?"

Aidyn shook his head. "Not yet, Captain."

Link paled. "Please tell me that Blaster and his brothers have laid off the Crystal Rock Sirloin."

Skye shuddered. "So far, they've kept that stuff back in their apartments in Goron City, Boss…though I swear I can catch a trace of their ass-gas wafting down from Death Mountain, every time they're on leave!"

Cidney chuckled. "Told ya: "Blaster" was really short for "Assblaster!""

Now Link had to laugh. " _Damn,_ steel-eaters, have I _ever_ missed you guys – _all_ of you guys!" he said. "When was the last time we were here? It must have been back when…" His smile faded, as his voice trailed off. "When…"

His comrades had also gone quiet. Leonas nodded sadly. "When Chip was still with us."

The guilt rose up within Link like a tidal wave. "I…I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean…I shouldn't have bothered you…not after I got him killed..!"

"It wasn't your fault, Captain," Skye said softly. "We all knew that. Nobody blames you."

"I was in command. He was my responsibility."

Leonas frowned at him. "That doesn't make you one of the Three, Sir. The _Yigs_ killed Chip. End of story. Copy?"

Link reined himself in as best as he could. "I hear you," he said. "I just…I hope I can believe that, someday."

Cidney coughed. "Hey…why'd we all get so serious all of a sudden? Chip wouldn't want us to be sad-sacks, right?" He raised his mug. "Here's to Chip."

Aidyn nodded, and did the same. "To Chip."

Sha'ed, Leonas, and Skye followed suit. "To Chip."

Thankfully, Thelmina had brought Link his own mug, allowing him to join the toast. "To Chip." With that, the six of them each took a swig, as Link sat down with his old comrades. Hoping to shift the conversation to a happier note, Link had to smile as he thought of an old dream of his. "Of course, if I do get shipped back to the 1st, it might just give me that opportunity to do what I've always talked about doing, once my contract is up."

Skye groaned. "Here we go."

Link laughed. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Master Corporal Nay-Sayer!" he quipped. "I've been doing my _own_ research, thank you! I've planned out the best menu-items that Castle Town diners could want, spotted a prime piece of estate that'll soon go up for sale, kept up with the cooking lessons from the Castle's Head Chef, and have been saving up a tidy little nest-egg for just the right time!"

Cidney shrugged. "Why not, Boss? Folks have started restaurants with less."

Link nodded. "Of course, I could always use a few extra hands to get my little establishment up and running," he added. "And if memory serves, most of your contracts are up the same time as mine, if you don't re-up."

Skye had to chuckle. "I swear, Boss, you and food," she said. "A real Hero of the Kitchen."

Link laughed. "Hey, I _like_ that!" he exclaimed. "So, will you Treadheads think it over, at least? We made the 1st Armored the best unit in the Army; together, I'm sure we can make _Heroes of the Kitchen_ the best _restaurant_ in Hyrule!"

Leonas chuckled. "We'll think it over, Sir. Just ask us again _after_ you kick the Calamity's ass!"

Link laughed again. "Fair enough!" With that, he took another swig of his ale, happy to sit and catch up with his old comrades-in-arms.

 _Next Time:_

 _Somewhat Tipsy (Or: In which our Princess and her Hero come to terms…following some Noble Pursuit-induced silliness.)_


	4. Somewhat Tipsy

CHAPTER FOUR: SOMEWHAT TIPSY

 _Or: In which our Princess and her Hero come to terms…following some Noble Pursuit-induced silliness._

In the depths of the Gerudo Wasteland – or Desert, depending on who you asked – the Kara Kara Bazaar was widely known as an oasis – a refuge for all who traversed the sands, _voe_ or _vai_ as the Gerudo said. Its reputation was well-earned, for two reasons. The first was the fact that it was built around one of the only free sources of drinkable water outside of Gerudo Town.

And the second reason was the fact that the Bazaar was often frequented by the denizens of Gerudo Town, who brought the signature beverage of the Town – the Noble Pursuit – to anyone who was curious…

…which included Princesses Royal, apparently. "I'm going to do it!"

Standing just a few steps from Her Grace – who was in a very wobbly approximation of a hand-to-hand combat stance – Link grinned and held out his cupped hand – her target. "I'm sure you will, Your Grace."

Still wobbly and sporting a determined grin, Princess Zelda balled up her right hand into a fist. "I _will!_ "

"I believe you." With a triumphant smirk at Link's words, Princess Zelda pulled back and swung.

All things considered, Link had to admit that Her Grace's first punch in her life – so far as he knew – wasn't the worst he'd seen for someone with zero combat training. Her technique wasn't great – although that could have been the one-and-a-half Noble Pursuits she'd downed – and her actual physical strength left a lot to be desired. Still, her fists were in the proper form – thumbs _outside_ the rest of her fingers – and with her smaller hands, even her striking force could have the effective impact of a stronger brawler. Link had to say that, on her own, Her Grace could, at the very least, knock out a few Bokoblin fangs or bruise any noble that got too handsy…though he wasn't sure which of those scenarios chilled him more.

Of course, she would need to be able to _hit_ her target first.

Her swing going wide, Zelda squeaked with alarm as her momentum carried her all the way forward, _past_ Link's hand and into the dust to Link's right. Sitting up with a cough, slightly sandy but otherwise fine, Princess Zelda stared at him with wide, hurt eyes. " _Link!_ Why did you not _catch_ me?!"

Link felt horrible about the grin he had to suppress. "Forgive me, Your Grace. I thought you would be fine."

"Hmph! A fine Hero you are, indeed!" Zelda huffed, though the smile on her lips told Link she was joking. Standing up and dusting herself off, Princess Zelda walked – or wobbled – to the stone by their personal campfire – further away from the rest of the night's revelry – and sat down to finish her drink in one gulp, bringing her nightly total to _two_ Noble Pursuits.

Link had to wince. Even _one_ of those could leave a grown man with a Goron-sized hangover. "Might I get you some water next, Your Grace? Those Pursuits can go to your head before you know it."

The Princess waved him away. "Oh, hush! I am perfectly fine!" she said. "I am merely…somewhat tipsy."

Link arched an eyebrow. "Folks don't knock themselves over if they're "somewhat tipsy," Your Grace."

At that, Princess Zelda's face fell. Her emerald eyes wetted with tears as her pink lips quivered. "You…You think me a drunken buffoon!" she wailed. "You think I am a helpless, useless waif who cannot even _drink_ right!" Sobs racked her as she buried her face in her hands.

Link felt lower than Lynel shit. " _Never_ , sweet Princess," he vowed. "There is so, _so_ much that I admire about you. If I ever made you feel that way, then I am…sorry?"

His declaration ended in a question, as he realized that her sobs didn't sound right…and when she lifted her face, he saw why. Giggling mischievously, Princess Zelda wiped away her Lizalfos-tears. " _Fooled_ you!"

Link groaned, his expression flat. "Very funny, Your Grace."

Smiling smugly, Zelda folded her arms. "It certainly was!" she declared. "I suppose I can't blame you for not knowing how funny it was. It seems that your one flaw is your absent sense of humor!"

Link liked to think he had a thick skin, physically and emotionally; Goddesses knew the Princess had battle-tested the latter. Question his skill? Sure. Imply that he didn't deserve the Master Sword? No problem. Challenge his manhood? She hadn't tried that yet, but he was pretty sure he could shrug that one off…but insult his _sense of humor?_

Crown Princess Zelda Bosphoramus Hyrule had officially _gone too Dindamned far._

Link kept his expression blank as he folded his own arms. "Oh, I think I _do_ know how funny it was, Your Grace. It's about as funny as that foam-mouthed sand rat that's climbing up your left leg."

" _ **EEEEEEEEEEKKK!**_ "

The Princess' scream hit an octave Link was sure that only Maraudo Wolves and Hylian Retrievers listened to. The moment he'd said that, Princess Zelda leapt from her seat into his arms, forcing him to hold her bridal-style, which set his face afire for a moment. " _Get it OFF me! Get it off, get it off, get it OFF!_ " she shrieked, burying her face in his chest, her fingers scrunching Link's Champion's Tunic, her legs kicking frantically. "Where is it?! I don't see it! Where did it…go?"

Her Grace's frantic tone faded to confusion as she looked up at him…and saw his grin of pure wickedness. "No sense of humor, Princess? You _sure_ about that?"

As guilty as Link felt for tricking her, he had to admit that her expression was worth it. At a loss for words for the first time Link had ever seen her, Princess Zelda gaped at him, her eyes wide and her mouth dropped open. Her silence proved short-lived, as her eyes narrowed and that lovely pout crossed her lips. "You…you…oh, you heartless _brute!_ " she wailed, half-heartedly pounding her fists against his chest. "How could you _do_ that to me?! Of _all_ the things to say! That was…that was..!"

Her semi-tearful tirade died away, and was replaced by laughter. "That was _brilliant!_ " she laughed. "I…I _never_ would have expected it, least of all from you!"

Smirking as he set her back on her feet, Link shrugged. "A word of advice, Your Grace: _NEVER_ try to outfox or outprank a Ranger _or_ ex-Ranger. We have a long-standing tradition of being Keese-crap _crazy_ , as I'm sure you've already seen."

The Princess was giggling. "I have no doubt," she agreed. "Well, I suppose I had that coming, didn't I?"

Link's smile was guilty. "Yeah, you've… _kinda_ been asking for it, these past few months," he admitted. "If you were one of Lady Carvahn's statues, you'd have a pair of underpants crammed over your head by now. At the very least, I might have occasionally thought, " _Well, excuuuuuuuse the f…_ "" he caught himself, " _…the_ _ **foul**_ _word outta_ _me, Princess! It's not like I ASKED the Goddesses to stuff this stupid piece of three-pointed gold in my hand!_ ""

That remark sent the Princess into fresh gales of tipsy laughter. "You…you are so _funny!_ " she giggled. "And you've certainly had an interesting life before me, my Hero. How rude of you never to mention it."

"I never thought it necessary, Your Grace. You _had_ my file from Director Purah. I just assumed you'd read it and didn't care."

Oops.

That comment instantly sobered the Princess' jovial mood. Her expression dropped into one of abject sadness and self-hatred. "I…I have certainly given you cause to think that," she murmured. "The way I have _acted..!_ "

Link quickly jumped in, trying to turn her from that path of thought. "Don't think about that, sweet Princess. It's over now. We can focus on moving forward from here."

That seemed to deflect most of her self-recrimination. Princess Zelda reined in her tears. "Thank you," she said. "It's hard to believe that, just a few days ago, I wanted you to go away."

Link chuckled. "It certainly is, Your Grace," he agreed…

… _and at that thought, he was back at the Kara Kara Bazaar, the night air cool under the lean-to and carpet he'd set up for his bunk outside the main shop. The quill pen was in his hand as he started drafting his letter, formally requesting that he be allowed to relinquish his noble rank and return to the Armoured Corps. He was willing to serve as Hyrule's Hero, but that duty did not expressly dictate that he be the Princess' personal Knight._

 _Her Grace had made it utterly clear that she wished nothing to do with him. He had no illusions of being any kind of gentleman, but even a Roughnecker-turned-Treadhead-turned-Knight had manners enough not to linger where a lady did not want him. 'I'm more of a front-line man. She doesn't need me…'_

 _A horse's whinny interrupted his thoughts. Looking up, Link felt dread grip him as he saw Tempest race by without his rider, with the Bazaar staff frantically trying to corral him. Link quickly recalled that his Princess had intended to visit the Arbiter's Grounds, in the morning; if she'd tried to go without him..!_

 _Instantly in motion, Link climbed to the top of the main shop in record time, peering out at the sands…where he spotted a lone figure with golden hair fleeing from another figure with a sickle._

 _Link never even stopped to think. Running and leaping so fast – faster than he'd ever done so in his life – he opened his glider and leaned into the wind for all he was worth. Just meters ahead, he saw Princess Zelda stop as two more Yiga killers surrounded her. Her lovely face was filled with fright as she tripped, barely able to move, her breath catching in her throat. One Yiga was stalking closer, raising his arm for the kill, and she let out a strangled cry of anguish..!_

 _One thought ran through Link's head:_ _ **NEVER.**_

 _Dropping out of his glide right above the would-be killer's head, Link drew the Master Sword and sliced the Yiga's shoulder as he fell. The holy steel cleaved the traitorous ex-Sheikah's flesh like butter, tearing off his arm before he could bring down his sickle. As the assassin fell screaming, while his Sickle flew away from his now-bodiless hand, Link stood between the remaining two Yiga, who had suddenly lost their nerve. Focusing every ounce of fury into his voice, Link brandished the Blade of Evil's Bane at them. "If you traitor devils even THINK of touching her, you can lie down with your friend right now."_

 _The two clansmen simply looked at each other, and ran off as fast as they could._

 _With only one Yig left, Link turned back to the fallen assassin, who was trying to crawl towards his sickle. Link's fury swelled again, as he strode towards him; as he passed the Princess, he made one request. "Don't look, Your Grace."_

 _The Yiga was inches from grasping the sickle when Link kicked it away from him. The Yiga snarled. "You wretched little shit! Blind little DOG! One day, one of us will kill you for Master Ganon!"_

 _Link didn't bat an eye. "Even IF that was true, traitor, it WON'T be you," he growled. He raised the Sword. "Now pick a Goddess, and pray that She has more patience for scum like you than Her sisters." Before the Yiga could even twitch, Link thrust the Sword into his skull, turning his scream into a gurgle, with a gasp coming from behind Link a second later._

 _The Princess had seen him kill._

 _Link scrunched his eyes in dismay, and flicked the Sword to clear off the blood before he sheathed it, and turned back to her. It was as he'd feared: the Princess was staring at him, her eyes wide with terror. 'She's afraid of me.' Link kept that thought in the back of his mind as he looked her over; fright aside, she seemed fine, though she was still hyperventilating. She hadn't moved, which told him that she might not be able to walk. "Your Grace?" he asked gently. "Are you hurt?"_

 _Princess Zelda did not speak – which unnerved him further – but she shook her head no. "I am going to take you back to camp," Link said softly. Slowly, he moved towards her, half-expecting her to cringe away, and was reassured when she did not. With the greatest of care, he lifted her into his arms – marvelling at how light she was – and began to walk back to the Bazaar. Still expecting her to berate him, Link was surprised when her arms moved to loop around his neck._

 _Perhaps she didn't despise him outright._

 _When he got back to the Bazaar, Link set his Princess down on his bunk-mat, and gave her a more thorough checking over, making sure she had no injuries that he missed…and feeling the pressure of her silence building. "It was not my intention to kill that Yiga in front of you, Your Grace, but there was no other way. Even a crippled Clansman is dangerous. I am sorry that you had to see me do that."_

 _His Princess remained silent._

 _Link tried again. "Would you…would you like me to call for Lady Urbosa, Your Grace?"_

 _Still she was silent._

 _Link sighed, as his worst fears welled up again. "If…if it pleases you, Your Grace…I…once we return to the Castle, I will submit a request to His Majesty to relinquish my Knight's rank, and you can find a…"_

" _Th-THANK YOU!"_

 _Princess Zelda's cry drowned out Link's sentence, as she buried her head in his chest, her hands scrunching his tunic. "Th-Thank you! Th-Thank you so, so much!" she wailed. "I was…I-I was s-so scared..!" Her words dissolved into tears, which morphed into an anguished wail of pure terror that tore Link's heart in twain._

 _All thoughts of returning to the front lines vanished from his mind. He now knew that he would do anything, face anything, just to never hear his Princess cry like that again. With the gentlest touch he had, he placed his hands on her shoulders. "You are very welcome, sweet Princess."_

 _Princess Zelda's sobs started to slow. She hiccupped miserably. "I…I've been so awful to you..!"_

 _Link shook his head. "Don't think about that, Your Grace. You're safe now; that's all that matters to me." He motioned towards the main shop building. "Would you like to retire to your chambers? I can call Lady Urbosa for you…"_

" _N-No!" Her denial was fierce. "I-I want to stay here!" Her face turned rosy. "With…w-with you."_

 _Link's eyebrows shot up. "I…are you sure, Your Grace? It can get cold…"_

 _Princess Zelda looked up, and her teary face dispelled any power he had to refuse her. "P-Please let me stay with you?" she murmured. "P-Please?"_

 _Link sighed, smiling tiredly. "Of course, sweet Princess. Your wish, as always, is my command." That drew a soft giggle from her, along with a hint of a smile. Reaching for his saddlebag, Link drew his camp blanket from it, and wrapped it around her. "This is what I normally use, Your Grace. It might not be what you prefer, but it'll keep you warm."_

 _Princess Zelda's eyes widened. "But…w-what will you use?"_

 _Link chuckled. "Don't worry about me, Your Grace. I've handled colder nights than this," he replied. "Morning is still a few hours away. You should get some rest."_

 _His Princess started to look hopeful. "And…you won't leave me?"_

 _Link half-glanced to his pack, where he kept the draft of the letter that he now knew he had to tear up. "Never, sweet Princess," he promised. "Forever and always, I will be here."_

 _And he meant it with all his heart. Oath or no oath, he could never leave her now._

 _Those words finally brought a smile – a true smile – to his Princess' face, and in that moment, Link knew that no sunrise could compare to her. "Thank you…Link," she whispered. With a smile of his own and a nod, Link turned his gaze towards the horizon, and laid the Master Sword across his lap, ready for trouble…but his focus was derailed by the sudden warm pressure on his shoulder, accompanied by wisps of gold across his vision, scented with Her Grace's favorite perfume of Courser Bee Honey and Swift Violets. Inching next to him, Princess Zelda had leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder, sleep claiming her as the wind played with her hair._

 _Link had been battling his own bottled feelings up until then, but Princess Zelda's actions, along with that radiant smile, had fanned the embers he'd been trying to put out into a full flame. Up until then, he'd tried to dismiss what he'd felt as infatuation strengthened by proximity, respect for her determination and intellect, and empathy for her struggles…but there was no denying it now._

 _He was in love with Princess Zelda Bosphoramus Hyrule…which meant that he was well and truly fucked._

" _Link..?" His Princess was murmuring in her sleep, a sugary smile crossing her face with her dream. "You smell…so nice…"_

 _That whispery tone – coupled with the fact that his Princess might be dreaming of him – went places in his mind that were well beyond the limits of protocol. 'Oh, Goddesses…oh, you're not getting any sleep tonight, Ranger…'_

…and indeed he hadn't. In the handful of days since then, that realization had kept sleep even further from him than it was on its own. Link had a hard enough time sleeping – with nightmares and recurring combat-memories rendering any sleep fitful unless he worked himself into dreamless, exhausted oblivion – but thoughts of Princess Zelda swirling in his head filled up any empty head-space he tried to build so that he could sleep. Compounding the issue was her change in demeanor towards him; after that day, Her Grace's expression and opinion of him had softened. Where once she'd bidden him to stay away, now she often sought him out. What was more, she'd begun greeting him with those same radiant smiles. She asked his opinion in planning her future expeditions and listened to his advice. When they were riding, she asked him questions, both about what he knew of the local area, and about, well…himself.

As glad as he was that she no longer hated him, her shift was making it that much harder to bury his feelings…

"Link?" His Princess' inquiry stirred Link from his musings, to find her looking at his travel-satchel quizzically. "How do you do it?"

Link arched an eyebrow. "Do what, Your Grace?"

Princess Zelda huffed adorably. "How do you fit so much _in_ this thing? I've seen you withdraw an entire cooking set, enough foodstuffs for a complete meal, _and_ one of those gigantic spike-clubs that Silver Lynels use! That's…that's simply _impossible!_ "

Link chuckled. "Not when you have Korok friends, Your Highness."

Zelda blinked. "Koroks?"

Link nodded. "The Children of the Forest," he confirmed. "They're the little forest-spirits that continually hang around the Deku Tree. I've been running into them all over Hyrule for the past few years. Their magic expanded my satchel's carrying capacity. I can fit an entire armory and kitchen pantry in there; it's like carrying 10 kit bags at once."

Princess Zelda's expression fell again. "I…I've never seen any of them," she murmured. "I have never seen spirits of any kind…"

' _Din blast it. Think fast, Ranger._ ' Link quickly interrupted the Princess' self-criticism. "Well, of course you haven't, Your Grace! You haven't been playing with them!"

Princess Zelda blinked again, doubly confused. " _Playing_ with them?"

"Exactly, milady. "Children of the Forest" isn't just a nickname. Every Korok in Hyrule sets up a game and hides itself. In order to make the Korok show itself, you need to play its game. Find enough Koroks, and they use their magic to help you."

Zelda was intrigued. "What kind of games do they play?"

Link grinned. "Anything their little wooden heads can think of, Your Grace: rock-circles in the water that you have to throw pebbles into; oddly-placed balloons that you have to pop; leaves in the wind…"

Zelda gasped. "T-The parapet on the tower next to my room!" she exclaimed. "I…I could have _sworn_ I'd seen a cloud of leaves and flickering lights atop it!"

Link shrugged. "Chances are, that was a Korok trying to get you to play with it, Your Grace," he suggested. "On our way back to the Castle, you might want to keep an eye out for any natural features that don't seem all that natural."

Glancing towards Link's satchel, Zelda picked it up to examine it. "And I might one day have a travel-bag that can fit an entire library in it?" she asked excitedly. Her face turned quizzical. "But…how do you draw items from it? Doesn't it get jumbled up in there?"

"Not really. You just have to know – or at least have a general idea – of what you want to take out," Link said. "Say if I wanted to pull out my old Armored Corps uniform, I just have to think of it, reach inside, and poof! I've got it!"

Flipping open the satchel's flap, Princess Zelda did just that, and pulled out Link's old pair of grey-black combat slacks, a black short-sleeve shirt, a grey-black combat jacket with a snarling silver wolf's head stitched on the back, and a dark beret with a metallic cap badge – the Wrench and Sword of the 1st Armored – pinned in it. Link had to smile. "Well, you've certainly got the hang of it…"

"I know this uniform."

Seeing the Princess' perplexed expression, Link paused. "I'm sure you do, Milady. Before becoming your Knight, I was the 1st Armored's CO; you'd have likely seen us at any of His Majesty's annual war games…"

"No, I mean _this_ uniform specifically!" Princess Zelda insisted. "This symbol on your jacket! I've _seen_ it before!" Her lovely eyes narrowed in determination, she stood up and walked over to Link, before draping his jacket over him and placing the beret on his head haphazardly. Out of reflex, Link adjusted it to fit properly, which made his Princess' eyes go wide in surprised recognition. " _It's YOU!_ "

Link was lost. "Uh… _what's_ me, Your Grace?"

"My 15th birthday! I'd run away from the Castle, and stumbled into a tavern! I was so upset after Father had scolded me – _again_ – and I just wanted to forget and I'd heard Urbosa remark that drinking could help with that! Some Moblin-sized drunkard started to accost me and I started crying, and…and _you_ were there! You drove him off, and…and you were so _kind_ to me…"

Now Link's eyes were wide. He remembered that night nearly two years ago all too well. After a successful mission, the Corps had returned to base for some R&R. He'd accompanied his unit – after Leonas had badgered him into it – and found the local drunk shitstain bothering a pretty girl. Once he'd told the prick to fuck off – with his fists as much as his words – he'd found out that said pretty girl was _Princess Zelda._ "You…you remember that night?"

Zelda sniffled. "You…you never _told_ me..!"

Link thought fast. "Because I didn't think you remembered, Your Grace," he said, managing a sheepish smile. "I did remember you being a bit more than tipsy, that night. As far as I knew, the booze had washed that memory right out of your head. I had no illusions of making any impression upon the Crown Princess."

"Not making an _impression?!_ " Zelda exclaimed. "Link, do…do you have any idea what that night _meant_ to me? After Father's constant disapproval of my research and lack of results in my prayers, and the Court's endless gibes behind my back, having someone express _faith_ in me…it _buoyed_ me for so many days since! I _never_ forgot it!" Horror started to fill her lovely face. "And…and I've..!"

' _UH-OH_.' Link knew what was coming. "Sweet Princess…"

His soothing words came too late. " _I've…I've been so NASTY to you!_ " Zelda bawled, as she dropped back onto her seat and buried her face in her hands, crying her eyes out. " _I've been HORRIBLE!_ How can you _stand_ me?!" She sniffled. "No-one would have blamed you if…i-if you'd left me to the Yiga…least of all me…"

" _No._ " Link's voice offered no room for argument as he knelt before her, taking her hands in his. " _Never_ say that again. Never _think_ that again."

Zelda's tears stopped, as she was too surprised to keep crying. "But…why?" she whimpered. "Why do you not hate me..?"

"Because I _understand_ , sweet Princess. I understand what pressures are on you; then and now," Link said. "I understood that all the frustration and anger you threw at me, you really meant for yourself." He smiled gently, and placed a gentlemanly – he hoped, at least – kiss to her left knuckle. "I could _never_ hate you…nor could I ever leave you," he finished. "And I _still_ intend to thrash any who besmirch or sully your name and your efforts, just as I promised back then."

A tiny smile appeared on the corner of Zelda's lips, along with a rosy tint on her cheeks. "E-Even the Hero?"

Link laughed. "Even the Hero," he agreed, as he sat down on the rock next to hers. "Though I'm quite sure that the moment I said that part, the Goddess Farore must have laughed and laughed."

Zelda giggled. "I'm sure She did!" she exclaimed, her tears finally abating. "Thank you, Link. Thank you so much."

"You are more than welcome, sweet Princess," Link said. "And when we return, if anyone besmirches your name, you need only point them out; I'll be happy to set that fu…" he caught himself again. "…that _foul_ one straight!" ' _Nayru save me, I've gotta watch that…_ '

He hadn't been quick enough. "Link," Zelda asked, in a conspiratorial whisper, "were you…about to say a…a naughty word?"

' _FUCK._ ' Link sighed and hung his head low. "My apologies, Your Grace."

With a gasp, Zelda's hands flew to her mouth, though she couldn't completely hide her scandalized smile. "I cannot believe it! My Knight and Chosen Hero has a penchant for foul language! A flaw, after all!"

Link snorted. "Compared to some other soldiers, Your Grace, my vocabulary is rather _tame,_ " he retorted. "And while I am on my best behaviour around you, I hardly think that cussing constitutes a flaw – it's just how us soldiers let off steam." He grinned wickedly. "Try it. You might like it, and if anyone here needs to let off steam, it's _you._ "

Zelda gasped again. " _Link!_ " she exclaimed, still smiling. "How could you even _suggest_ that? As Crown Princess and Heir to the Holy Bloodline of Goddess Hylia, taking the Three's Names in vain would be… _sacrilegious!_ I am having enough difficulty winning Their favour as it is, thank you!"

"Fair enough," Link agreed. "But there are plenty of ways to cuss without crassly invoking the Three – most of which revolve around words for excrement and the f-word."

Zelda blushed fiercely. "You…you mean…f…f-f…f-f-fornication?"

With a groaning, piteous laugh, Link drooped his head. "Oh, Your _Grace._ "

Zelda's huff was utterly adorable. " _D-Don't LAUGH at me!_ " she shouted, stamping her foot. "Have you any _idea_ what kind of governesses I had as a child?! I would have gotten my mouth _washed out_ with the most _awful_ soap if I ever so much as said "phooey!""

Link stifled his laughter. "My apologies, sweet Princess. You're right. I should not mock you for having better manners than me," he relented. "And I suppose your governesses should be thankful we did not meet before. I'm quite certain that I would have made any of them _faint_ with my younger antics."

Zelda's giggles returned. "Such as defacing Lady Carvahn's statue collection?" she asked. "I can recall several times when Father and I visited the Carvahn estate, only to find that Lady Carvahn's statues had some… _unconventional_ decorations! That was _you..?_ "

"I said nothing of the sort, Your Grace. I merely observed once that there was a correlation between Lady Carvahn's ill treatment of the commonfolk – and her younger staff – and how often her statues were "decorated." As I've once heard you remark, correlation does not automatically imply causation." Link gulped. "That said, I'm sure Mipha has stories aplenty of what a rambunctious little hellcat I was."

Zelda was trying to hold back her laughter. "No doubt she does! You sounded like such a _scamp!_ " she exclaimed. Her smile grew shy. "And I am sure my governesses _would_ faint at how I know you, Link – just not for the reasons you claim."

Link was confused. "Your Grace?"

"You might _think_ yourself a ruffian or a grizzled war-dog," Zelda continued, "but I can see that you are very kind, and…and quite charming. A lady could easily find herself falling for you."

Link chuckled nervously. "Oh, I am sure that is just the Noble Pursuits talking, Your Grace."

"That does not make it wrong." And with that, she scooched to the side…and sat down on _his_ rock, just a book's length from him.

Link felt his blood go cool and his head get hot at the same time. "Uh…Your Grace? Is something wrong?" he asked. "You're…getting a bit close."

Zelda giggled again, only softer, in a breathy tone that sent Link's blood rushing to places it had _no_ business going – not when she was near. "I dare say that I am not close _enough,_ " she murmured, as she inched towards him again, cutting the distance between them in half. "And I have been so rude: you saved the life of your Princess, and she has not even thought to reward you."

Link felt a bead of perspiration trickle down his temple. "I need no reward, Your Grace. Your safety is more than enough…"

She silenced him with a single finger to his lips. "It most certainly is _not_ , my Hero. My rewards are mine to give, as I choose," she sweetly chided. Her blush grew. "And so…I hereby give you permission…to kiss your Princess."

Link almost had to jam his fist in his mouth to stop himself from automatically accepting. "You're…You've had too much to drink, Your Grace," he said, as much to himself as to her. "Y-You don't know what you're saying…"

Zelda pouted. "I most certainly _do_ know what I am saying, Link!" she exclaimed. "Just as I know that – even _if_ I awaken my power and we defeat the Calamity – my prospective suitors are _abysmal!_ My choices for a potential husband are either too old, too _young_ , or utterly distasteful! Is it so wrong of me to want my first kiss to be with someone who…who I hope actually _cares_ about me?!" Crushing disappointment started to fill her face. "Or…Or do you simply find _me_ repulsive?"

" _NO!_ " Link's response was automatic and adamant. " _Goddesses_ no, Your Grace! You…you're…gods, even _dreams_ cannot compare to you! I simply…don't want you to do anything you will regret."

Her smile began to return. "The only thing I regret, my Hero, is being so blind to how wonderful you are," she murmured. Her face began to inch closer. "Please kiss me?"

' _Oh, Goddesses, this is TORTURE!_ ' Link didn't know what to do. He _knew_ there was no way he could kiss her; for one, with how he felt, he'd never be able to _stop_ kissing her if he did. What was more, if anyone ever found out, he was _beyond_ dead – the King would have his head on a pike, and that was only if _Urbosa_ didn't get to him first.

But to refuse her – to make her think he didn't want her – that felt like death itself. He was stuck…and she was getting closer. "P-Princess…"

" _Zelda,_ " she corrected. "I know that you must be disciplined and proper in the Court's eye, my Knight…but out here, in the wilds, I would be so happy if you just called me Zelda."

Link's head was spinning in a way that no drink could ever match. "Z-Zelda, I…" he began, but the rest of his words vanished, boiled away by the sheer luminance of her overjoyed smile. Zelda's eyes fluttered closed as her lips grew closer; Link was powerless to even _want_ to resist…

…as her lips collided solidly with the fabric of his Tunic.

The sight of the Princess – _Zelda_ – falling asleep onto his chest doused Link's furtive thoughts with a _lakeful_ of cold water. ' _Well, I sure hope you enjoyed that, Ranger, because that's the closest you're EVER going to get._ ' Sighing to himself, Link gently lifted the sleeping Zelda into his arms, and started to carry her back to her tent. ' _Farore save her, she's going to have a rip-roaring hangover tomorrow…_ '

"L-Link..?"

Link had just carried her through the opening flap of her tent when her sleepy inquiry made him pause. He glanced down, and was rewarded with another smile – this one so beautifully hopeful. "Did you…kiss me?"

' _Oh, Nayru, matron of love, how You must HATE me,_ ' Link thought, as he gently laid her down on her bedroll. He couldn't say no to her, but he couldn't lie to her…so he did neither. "Go back to sleep, sweet Zelda," he urged softly. "You'll need your rest for tomorrow."

Zelda's smile turned sweetly giddy as her Pursuit-soaked mind drew its own conclusions. "Okay," she agreed. "But…before I do, promise me something?"

"Anything."

Zelda chewed her lower lip nervously. "You've been so closed off since you became my Knight – and I'm not blaming you for it!" she said quickly. "But…would you please be open with me? Like you were tonight?" She gulped. "I just…I love what I see when you do…"

As if he had any _hope_ of refusing her request. "You don't even have to ask, sweet Pr…sweet _Zelda,_ " he corrected himself. "My book may be closed to most, but you can have the key anytime you like."

Her face lit up as if he'd offered her all the treasure in Hyrule and beyond…or, more likely, the complete knowledge and secrets of the ancient Sheikah, knowing her. "Th-Thank you!" she said. "Oh, thank you, my darling Hero!" She giggled. "Good night!" And with that, before he could even think of protesting, she grasped his collar, reached up, and pecked him on the lips, before she collapsed back onto her pillow, out cold.

The kiss lasted barely a moment…but that moment – with its tastes of wildberries, fruitcake, and some other flavour that could only have been uniquely _her_ – would be burned into Link's memory for the rest of his days. ' _Oh, Goddesses…I'm going to the Dark Realm for this,_ ' he lamented inwardly. With Zelda lost in sleep, Link could only pull the blankets up over her, tucking her in to make sure the deathly chill of the desert night air did not touch her…as he tried frantically to keep the false hope that her kiss had stirred out of his thoughts. ' _She said that she loved what she saw…and called me "her darling Hero." Does that mean…maybe she might – STOP it!_ ' Link shook his head hard. ' _She wasn't just drunk – she was plastered! She had no idea what she was saying! She doesn't love you! And even if – IF – she did, once she finds out about…about THAT day..!_ '

Even the mild reference to what had happened at the Naboris excavation was enough to pull Link back to that day. He could feel the heat of the malfunctioning Guardian's beam-weapon as it had glanced by him. He could hear himself screaming orders at his unit to re-form in response to the Yiga attack…and he could feel the weight of poor Chip, bawling like a baby in his arms.

" _I…I w-wanna g-go h-home! I…I WANT M-MY M-MOMMA..!_ "

Those words – Chip's last words – echoed in his ears even louder than before, drawing tears from his eyes. Suddenly unable to breathe, Link left the Princess' tent as quietly as he could, and made his way to the far side of their campsite, away from prying eyes. ' _Dammit, Ranger, get a HOLD of yourself!_ ' Making sure no-one had seen his panic-attack, Link focused on his breathing, steadying it as he often did before combat. ' _Inhale…hold for 1…2…3…4…and exhale._ ' After several cycles of that pattern, Link took a swig from his waterskin, and made his way back to the entrance to Zelda's tent, where he took a seat next to it, to keep watch.

It wasn't like he ever got any sleep, anyway – not with the nightmares that always crept into his head unless he worked himself to exhaustion. This was just more of the same. He could bear it.

For her, he could bear it.

ZZZZZZZZ

When Zelda came to, the first thing she noticed was the troupe of Gorons dancing all over the insides of her skull. With a piteous moan, she turned over…right into the rays of the morning sun that peeked through her tent flap. As the sunlight screamed into her eyeballs, Zelda let out a cry of anguish as she covered her face. ' _Oh, Goddesses…what did I do..?!_ '

"Finally awake, little bird?"

Urbosa's normally-soothing voice was ground glass in her clearly-bleeding ears. Zelda could only whimper piteously. "Not so _loud…_ "

Urbosa chuckled. "Noble Pursuits; divine blessings in the night, but infernal punishments in the morning. Did I not warn you?"

Zelda sniffled. "You did."

"And did you listen?"

Zelda hiccupped. "I did not," she conceded. "Please don't tell Father..?"

"Of course not, sweetness; what you feel now is punishment enough. Believe me, I know," Urbosa said, before she yanked the blankets off Zelda, and headed outside. "Now get up, Your Grace. Lying about all day will only make you feel worse, both from the hangover and wasting the day. You can start by getting some breakfast in you, and your Knight was kind enough to make one for you."

' _Oh, Goddesses. Link._ ' As if her behaviour towards him before the incident at the Bazaar hadn't been enough, she'd made a total fool of herself in front of him. Though the details were hazy, she could recall her teasing him to the point where he'd finally – if playfully – retaliated, before badgering him about the nature of his seemingly bottomless travel satchel…although the notion that she might be able to invoke the presence of Korok spirits by playing their "games" was a novel one.

But the absolute _worst_ – the most _mortifying_ moment – had been the realization that _Link_ had been the then-nameless soldier who had been so kind to her, on her 15th birthday. She had been taking her childish anger out on the one who had given her nothing but quiet support, likely from then until now. What made it worse was that, despite her utterly _wretched_ – and half-drunken – attempt at an apology, Link had _forgiven_ her, if he had ever been angry with her at all.

As the events of the night before started to trickle through the chorus-line of the Gorons tromping through her head, Zelda felt her face catch fire as she recalled how she'd attempted to _kiss_ Link…though some hazy half-memory told her that she _had_ kissed him. ' _Oh, Nayru…oh, matron of the heart, what a fool he must think me!_ '

She had no idea where that impulse had come from. Certainly, she had realized that some ladies – not her, of course – could be drawn to the kind of steadfast silence that Link had exemplified, in the past. And yes, she could appreciate his kindness, now that she had actually seen it. And yes, she knew that, physically, he was quite handsome – she wasn't _blind_ , for Din's sake! – but that didn't mean she'd wanted to kiss him, regardless of how often she had fantasized about meeting that unknown soldier again…

… _and that furtive thought was enough to pull her back to that night, near five years ago. It was all too easy for her to recall the sheer frustration and self-hate that her conversation with Father had evoked; even on her 15_ _th_ _birthday, he'd shown no mercy in reminding her of her failings in unlocking her sealing power. Unable to bear the Castle – with its combination of crushing silence and courtly whispers behind her back – she'd snuck out through the mine carts in the East Passage, and made her way into town. Specifically, she'd gone to one of the local pubs – Thelmina's, she believed – to drown her sorrows, as she'd heard that many of the soldiers posted in the Castle were wont to do._

 _She'd barely placed a red Rupee on the counter for her third drink when some burly brute had cornered her. Too upset and inebriated to think of declaring her identity, Zelda could only sniffle. "P-Please, just leave m-me alone..!"_

 _The brute grinned, showing missing teeth amongst his rotten-mouth smile. "Aw, don't worry, pretty; I'll be gentle..!"_

" _You heard the lady, asswad. She said to get lost."_

 _Startled out of her tears, Zelda followed the brute's glance as he turned to face the newcomer. The young man – older than her by two years, if that, and leanly muscled, barely a few inches taller than her – was clad in the dark grey slacks and jacket of the 1_ _st_ _Armoured Corps, his beret covering his short, dusty-blond hair, with a pair of goggles looped around his neck, his blue eyes hard. The brute scowled. "Piss off, treadhead! Nobody asked you!" Turning away, he started to reach for Zelda, who could only cringe..!_

 _His grimy hand never reached her. Like a Gerudan Cobra, he darted to Zelda's side, his hand grabbing the goon's wrist and twisting, causing him to scream with pain. "_ _ **I**_ _wasn't_ _ **asking**_ _, shitstain," he snarled, and he pulled forward, slamming the crown of his skull – the hardest part – into the brute's face. As the thug stumbled back, the soldier flowed behind him, to grab the scruff of his collar and push down, smashing his face into the bar, knocking him out._

 _The entire bar went silent at that, with all the patrons looking their way. Zelda felt the weight of their stares, but the soldier just stared back. "Back to your drinks, folks – it's just Fadin, again!" That was all that was needed; with a collective groan, the bar crowd resumed their revelry. Turning towards her, the soldier smiled gently. "Sorry to step in, miss, but this clown has a bad reputation of bothering young ladies who've had a few too many. Was he upsetting you?"_

 _Zelda tried to steady herself. "S-Somewhat, good sir. You have my thanks."_

 _The young man smiled…and Zelda felt her stomach flutter. "What can I say? As an officer and a gentleman – if only at heart – I do what I can in the defence of…" he paused, as he got a closer look at her…and his eyes went wide, his voice dropping to a whisper, "…Y-Your Grace..?"_

" _What's going on out here?!"_

 _The young soldier looked panicked as the owner – a Gerudo-blooded woman as tall as Urbosa, and amply-bosomed – strode into view. Frantically, Zelda looked at him, wordlessly begging him to stay quiet. The Goddesses were kind to her this time, as the young man smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Mama Thelmie. Fadin was pestering this young lady, so I had to step in. I think she's a bit shaken up, so I was going to escort her outside for some air. If there's any damage, I'll be happy to pay for it…"_

" _You'll do no such thing, honey. I've warned this lout!" the owner – Thelmina – declared. To Zelda, she added, "Don't you worry, darlin'; this piece of trash isn't coming in MY bar, any more!" With that, she grabbed the brute – Fadin – by his collar, and hauled him off, while Zelda could only follow as her unknown savior escorted her outside._

 _Once they were alone, the young soldier removed his beret, and dropped to his knees. "Please forgive my impertinence, Your Grace. I could only surmise that you did not wish to be recognized; if I overstepped…"_

" _N-No!" Zelda cried. "Th-Thank you, kind sir! You have no cause to be sorry!"_

 _Slowly, the young man rose to his feet. "Begging your pardon, Milady, but…what in Din's, Nayru's, Farore's, AND Hylia's Names are you DOING here?" he exclaimed. "An establishment such as this is no place for a fine lady as yourself! Why would you subject yourself to oafs and boors like Fadin and I? And on your birthday, no less?"_

 _The crux of the matter came rushing back to Zelda. She could feel the tears prick at her eyes, and clog her throat. "I…I had to get away!"_

 _The soldier's concerned frown softened. "From what, Milady? Why would you wish to flee those that surely love you..?"_

" _Because Father DOESN'T!" Zelda screamed, as her tears broke loose. "Every day! Every day he berates me or scolds me because he thinks that I am not doing enough to unlock my sealing power! He tells me that my studies of the ancient technology are a waste! And the Court! The Royal Court snickers about my failures at every chance, I KNOW it!" She buried her face in her hands, trying to stop her sobs. "I…I am doing everything I can! Why do the Three ignore my pleas? What have I done to make Them hate me so?!" Horror crept into her voice and thoughts. "W-What will the Hero think of me when he comes to draw the Master Sword..?"_

 _Her self-recriminating query trailed off by the young man's gentle hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her as best he could. Daring to glance up, Zelda saw no disgust, scorn, or even pity in his face – only sincere sadness. "Oh, sweet Princess…I am heartbroken to hear you have suffered so," he murmured. "Please forgive an ignorant fool."_

 _Zelda tried to still her sniffles and failed miserably – she shouldn't have been surprised. "You have no need of my forgiveness, good sir; you are not responsible for my shortcomings, nor could you have been expected to know of them."_

 _The soldier's sad eyes did not leave hers, his kindly intent gaze setting Zelda's cheeks afire. "I ask forgiveness, Your Grace, because I refuse to believe that one such as yourself has as many shortcomings as you think," he said. A gentle smile crossed his face. "I do not ask you to take my word for it, sweet Princess, but there_ _ **are**_ _those that have faith in you; you may count this humble Treadhead among them. I will be all too happy to clock anyone – commoner, noble, or even the damned Hero – who besmirches your name or your efforts, spiritual or otherwise." He chuckled. "I also refuse to believe that you have no-one that cares for you in Hyrule Castle."_

 _Zelda glanced down. "Well…there is Urbosa," she admitted. "And…and my handmaid Rosalie."_

" _There you go," the young man replied, before he looked in the distance behind Zelda. "Your Grace…might this "Urbosa" be Gerudo? Clad in gilded armoured garb, and carrying a masterfully-crafted shield and scimitar?"_

 _Surprise took hold of Zelda's face. "H-How did you know?"_

 _The soldier chuckled, and called out behind her. "My Lady Urbosa, might I have a moment of your time? I believe I have found whom you seek!"_

 _Turning around, Zelda barely had time to gasp with surprise before she was bundled into the frantic hug of her surrogate mother. "You are here," Urbosa whispered fiercely. "Thank the Three, you are here. Little bird, you must_ _ **swear**_ _to me never to do that again! I was a breath away from a burial ground with worry!"_

 _As she met Urbosa's eyes, and saw the tears she was just barely holding back, Zelda almost began to cry anew. "I…I am so sorry, Urbosa!" she sniffed, feeling utterly horrid for worrying her so. "I did not mean to…I…I just had to get away..!"_

 _Urbosa shushed her as she often did: by touching the tip of her nose to hers. "I know, my sweetness," she murmured. "I am not angry. You are safe. The rest is no matter." Drawing back from her, Urbosa met the young man's gaze. "You have both my thanks and Hyrule's young man – though Hyrule will likely never know it."_

 _The soldier just gave a half-smile. "I am honoured, Milady, since I am in need of neither. As you said: Her Grace's safety is thanks enough." At those words – and the young man's smile – Urbosa seemed to pause. Her expression quizzical, she took a few steps forward, and leaned down to look the young man in the eye, studying…before her eyes widened slightly. The soldier voiced the confusion Zelda felt. "My Lady? Is something wrong?"_

 _Urbosa moved back, her expression turning neutral. "No, no," she said. "I merely…I thought I saw a friend's ghost." Her usual smirk returning, Urbosa turned to Zelda with an arched eyebrow. "Little bird? Are you not going to introduce your voe?"_

 _Zelda's blush fanned itself to full flame at her words. "U-URBOSA! He is not…we are not..!"_

 _Urbosa's resonant laugh filled the night air. "I only jest, sweetness. Still, did you not ask your hero's name?"_

 _Zelda fidgeted anxiously. "I-I..!"_

 _The soldier's chuckle saved her. "We had not yet exchanged names, Ladyship. Once I realized Her Grace's identity, I became a bit sidetracked from introducing myself," he said. "You can just call me…"_

" _Boss! Howler, we got a problem!"_

 _Hearing that call, the soldier turned towards another – this one with Sergeant's stripes – who stood in the bar's door. "It's Walsky, Captain; he went and flirted with the wrong woman, and now her husband is after him!"_

 _The soldier – "Howler" – groaned. "AGAIN? Din blast it, we've BOTH warned him!" he groused. "Hang tough, Sarge; I'll be but a moment." Turning back to Zelda and Urbosa, Howler gave an embarrassed grin. "My apologies, Your Grace, Ladyship; that was the wife. One of the kids had an accident, and now we have to clean up the mess."_

 _At his description, Zelda couldn't help but giggle. Urbosa laughed again. "By all means, young wolf!" she exclaimed. "We will leave you to your business…though I think we both will keep an eye out for you."_

 _As Howler gave an approximation of a courtly bow before dashing off, Zelda nodded her agreement. She knew she would never forget him…_

…and indeed she hadn't…though her memory had clearly been more addled by drink than she'd expected. ' _The Goddesses know I've dreamt of him nearly every night since…oh, NAYRU! I…I've been…I was fantasizing about…oh, merciful Golden Three, please make me a STONE!_ '

As she'd come to expect, the Three ignored her internal prayer. Getting to her feet, Zelda fought the ache behind her eyes, coupled with her loudly-protesting stomach. ' _Merciful Three, could you at least quiet this hangover long enough for me to get some water, and a bit of food? Surely THAT is not so much to ask!_ '

For once, the Goddesses seemed to agree, as the ache in Zelda's head subsided somewhat, allowing her to order her thoughts enough to decide what she had to do. ' _Regardless of what I said last night, I…I must apologize to Link – PROPERLY, this time! After everything, he deserves a considered, sincere apology, not the blubberings of some drunken waif!_ ' With that decided, Zelda stood up straight, set her gaze ahead, and walked out of her tent…

…only to immediately want to head back in, dive under her blankets, and not come out until sundown.

Already high in the sky, the desert sun's unrelenting rays made Zelda's hangover return with a vengeance, the blazing heat threatening to steal away what little moisture remained in her body. Moving into the shade as much as she could, Zelda steadied herself, and looked around for her Knight…before she spotted him by their campfire spot, at which point her heart threatened to leap out of her chest. No longer in his Champion's Tunic and Knight's Greaves, Link had exchanged those for a set of clothes styled after Gerudo garb, although these had clearly been tailored for a male. Link's sandy mop was tied into a rat-tail higher on his head, with a jade-gold headband about his brow, inlaid with cooling sapphire shards. His torso was half-bare, covered only by a gold-sapphire shoulder-guard and blue-green single sleeve, and his pants were made of light fabric, loosely fitting enough to breathe in the blazing air.

Part of Zelda wanted to faint then and there, though she suspected it had nothing to do with the heat _or_ her hangover. Worse still, Link quickly took notice of her, and glanced her way with a warm smile…which made the flush in her cheeks flare as hot as Din's Fire. "How are you feeling, Your Grace?"

Keeping her poise as best she could as she walked over to him – ' _Oh, merciful Nayru, please make these Gorons in my head take a blasted curtain-call!_ ' – Zelda managed a faint smile. "I am…recovering, Sir Knight," she admitted. "I thank you for…tolerating my drunken ramblings."

Link chuckled. "You make it sound as if it was a burden to spend time with you, sweet Princess. I do not know how much you remember, but you were a delight to speak with."

' _Oh, bold Farore, WHY did you give your latest Hero such charm?_ ' Zelda lamented inwardly, fighting the flare in her cheeks. She sat down at an angle, hoping to hide her reddened face until her fires dwindled. "I remember…bits and pieces," she said. "Most of all, I remember…how I first met you." She bit her bottom lip. "And that I attempted an apology."

Link's expression saddened. "Sweet Princess, you need not…"

Zelda raised her hand to shush him. "I most certainly _do_ need to, my Knight," she insisted. "I…I have behaved more horribly than a spoiled child towards you; I blamed you for things that most _assuredly_ were never your fault to begin with, when you had done nothing but support me in your own quiet way. That is _not_ the kind of ruler – _Goddesses,_ the kind of _person_ – that I want to be!"

Try as she might, Zelda could not keep the quiver out of her voice, or from her lip. "And…A-And I am so _sorry,_ " she whimpered. "I know I have no right to ask this, but…but I would be so happy if we could simply…if we could forget all the unpleasantness that transpired between us thus far and…and be friends." She sniffled, as her voice became a whisper. "B-Because I don't have many of those."

For several long seconds, Zelda did not dare look at Link, until the silent tension became too much. She'd expected to find scorn or annoyance on his face, but instead, she found only a sad smile. "As _I_ said last night, sweet Princess, you have never _needed_ my forgiveness. I understood the pressures you face. What's more, my friendship has always been yours for the asking." His smile turned wryly teasing. "But what's this nonsense of you thinking you have so few friends? Does Lady Urbosa not adore you endlessly? Would Mipha not drop anything to comfort you at a moment's call? Is Daruk not a Goron-hug away from being anyone's friend?" A sour frown crossed Link's mouth at his next words. "As for Revali…I wouldn't worry about him, Your Grace. The less _anyone_ has to listen to Master Blabberbeak's endless boasting, the _better._ "

Zelda couldn't stop the surprised – and mildly scandalized – laughter that bubbled forth at her Hero's snarky words. " _Link!_ You mustn't talk about your fellow Champion that way!"

"I'm sure he's said _worse_ of me, Your Grace."

Zelda's laughter gave way to a genuine – if somewhat admonishing – smile. "Well! I had no idea that you could be so snarky! I am finding out all manner of things about you, today!"

Link smirked. "With respect, Your Grace, you're the one that wanted me to open up."

Zelda softly giggled, and hid her smile behind her hand. "That I did," she conceded…just as a particularly cruel ray of sunshine struck her brow, turning her smile to a wince. "Now…would you be so kind as to make the sun stop _screaming_ at me?"

Link glanced skyward, and then back to her with an embarrassed look. "I would gladly do so, sweet Z…er, sweet Princess, but since I am not one of the Three, I doubt that it will listen," he said. "Instead, perhaps I might offer a means of plugging your ears to its shouting?"

Utterly miserable, Zelda inched along her seat into the little shade that was available – which brought her that much closer to Link. "At this point, I will accept _any_ aid," she whimpered. "And you _are_ still allowed to call me by name, outside of the Castle and in private."

With a flush of his own colouring his face, Link scratched his head. "Oh. Sorry. I…wasn't sure if you remembered that part." Taking out his satchel, he reached in…and withdrew an utterly delicious-looking meal, complete with cutlery: savoury cuts of meat cooked to perfection, and sides of greens, fruit, and mushrooms. "I figured you could use a good meal, and a little cooling draught," he said, before he fished out a bottle filled with a light blue elixir. "I made that dish with Chillshrooms and Hydromelon juice; it'll keep you cool for most of the morning, so save that elixir for the afternoon."

Zelda was dumbfounded. "You…you _cook?_ "

Link was suitably smug. "That and more, sweet Zelda." To prove that he wasn't done surprising her, he drew one last dish from his satchel: a piece of fruitcake – done with her favourite blend of apples, wildberries, and Mighty Bananas – perfectly moist and with a flawless frosted sheen. "I'd have this with your morning meal; I'm not sure if it'll keep in the heat."

Zelda could only gape, her mind struggling to grasp what Link had done for her, after everything. "You…this…how..?"

"…did I know it was your favourite?" Link finished for her. "As far back as when I was in the Ranger Corps, every time I checked in with Central Command at the Castle, I stopped by the Royal Kitchen to see the Head Chef. We have a little deal worked out: I find him rare ingredients, and he gives me cooking lessons." He grinned. "Over time, I noticed that almost every time the Royal dinner was prepared, a slice of fruitcake was made for you. When His Majesty tapped me to be your Knight, I asked the Chef to teach me his fruitcake recipe, should I ever need to whip one up."

Zelda felt her eyes start to moisten. "I…I do not know what to _say…_ "

"You needn't say anything, sweet Zelda – at least not until you taste it." Link's smile was now a bit nervous. "This will be the first time I made it under field conditions; for all I know, one taste might make you want to whip it at my head."

From the look of the cake, Zelda couldn't _imagine_ wanting to throw it at Link. Despite all rules of propriety forbidding her from sampling dessert before her meal, Zelda's curiosity overtook her. Taking her fork in hand, she sampled just the tiniest morsel on the corner – cake and frosting both – and popped it in her mouth…and nearly fainted.

She almost didn't want to admit it – given how passionate Head Chef Carlos was about his craft, learning he was now her _second_ -favourite pastry-chef would have reduced the sweet man to tears – but Link's cake was the _best_ she had ever tasted. The moisture and texture of the cake, amplified by the fruit flavours and the sweetness of the frosting…it sent Zelda's tastebuds into paroxysms of bliss that raced up her tongue, into her brain, and out to the rest of her body. Unable to help herself, Zelda felt her back arch, her toes curl, and her eyes flutter closed as an involuntary sigh of pure delight passed her lips.

When the surge of culinary pleasure released her senses, Zelda opened her eyes, to find a blush on her Knight's face. "I…I guess that means you like it?"

Zelda knew she was just as red. "It…It is my new favourite," she confessed. "But please do not tell Chef Carlos I said so; it would break his heart."

"As you command, sweet Z – er, Your Grace." Link's voice quickly turned serious and professional, though his eyes were motioning behind her.

Zelda's confusion lasted only a breath, as a familiar laugh echoed across the desert sands. "Goddesses be praised! It's about time you two started getting along!" Urbosa exclaimed, as she walked up to them with two of her guards. "Feeling any better, little bird?"

Zelda sighed. "I think I will after a good meal, which my Knight has so kindly provided."

The Gerudo swordswoman to Urbosa's left huffed sourly. "Chilled Meat and Greens _and_ a Fruitcake?" she said bitterly. " _My_ husband certainly never did that for me, Your Grace. Any chance you could tell my sisters where you found your _voe?_ "

Zelda flushed as red as Urbosa's hair. "H-He's not..! W- _We're_ not..!"

The Gerudo to Urbosa's right perked up with a smile. "No? Then could I have him, Your Grace?"

Link paled. "U-Uh…"

Urbosa's frown silenced both her tribeswomen, as she glanced to her right. "Hunt for a husband on your _own_ time, Iveil!"

Zelda nodded with her own irate frown. "Link is _not_ anyone's property to be given away! I will _thank_ you to remember that!"

Her irritation forgotten, Urbosa glanced back to Zelda with surprised eyes. "Did I get sand in my ears, little bird? Or did I just hear you _defending_ your Knight?"

Zelda's blush returned in full, but she had to smile shyly. "You heard correctly, Urbosa. Though it is doubtlessly long overdue, I have been fully disabused of the horrifically incorrect notions I previously held regarding Sir Forester," she answered. "Though I will issue my own formal edict upon our return to Court, I shall henceforth take any slights against him as slights against _myself._ "

The swordswoman to Urbosa's left chuckled, as she whispered conspiratorially to Iveil. "And she says he's _not_ her _voe..?_ "

" _Adira,_ " Urbosa admonished, before smiling at Zelda once more. "I gather there is a story behind this, little bird?"

"Yes," Zelda confessed. "One that I would rather not repeat. The matter is resolved, Urbosa. Can we not leave it at that?"

"Certainly. After all, I am sure that you and your "howling" Knight have much to discuss yet."

Zelda nodded. "We certainly do, especially…" Her voice trailed away as she realized what Urbosa had just said. "You…you…you _KNEW?!_ "

Link's eyes narrowed. "I thought you said you _hadn't_ heard my callsign, Ladyship."

"I said nothing of the sort, young Hero," Urbosa retorted with a sly smile. "I merely remarked that it was not the reason I called you "young wolf.""

Zelda was on the verge of hyperventilating. "You…all this time…you let me make a _fool_ of myself..?!"

Urbosa laughed. "Well, would you have _believed_ me?"

That made Zelda pause. "I…I would have…I…" She sighed. "Most likely not."

"Then there you are," Urbosa chided. "Until you stopped seeing Link as a problem, you would never have seen him as anything else, little bird."

That fact made Zelda hang her head in shame, until Link spoke up. "It is as you both said, Your Grace, Ladyship: the matter is resolved. All we need do now is move forward."

' _Thank you, my Hero._ ' With the handful of moments Link had provided, Zelda was able to recompose herself. "Urbosa," she began, "if Link's call-sign is not the reason you call him "young wolf," then what _is_ the reason?"

Urbosa's smile was knowing. "You are the studious sort, little bird. I am quite sure you'll answer that riddle without any help from me." Before Zelda could press her on the matter, the Gerudo Champion changed the subject. "I imagine that you two should want to get going soon. The rainstorm season will soon be upon the Akkala region, and if you mean to visit Director Purah _and_ the Spring of Power, that leaves you little time."

Link nodded, before glancing to Zelda. "I can have our camp stripped down in less than an hour, Your Grace. With a quick start, we can reach the Wasteland Stable by mid-evening…after your meal, of course."

Her Knight's comment drew Zelda's attention back to her plate…which caused her stomach to grumble its impatience. She managed to quell her appetite long enough for one last question. "Urbosa? Will you be returning to the Castle?"

"In time, little bird. I must attend to a few matters in Gerudo Town," Urbosa replied, still with that knowing smile. "Some of the guards posted there reported a…somewhat unusual _vai_ around town, recently."

Link had just taken a sip from his waterskin when he coughed, to Zelda's confusion. "I…I am sure you will get to the bottom of it, Ladyship."

Urbosa chuckled. "I am sure that I _will_ , young wolf." With that remark, and one bow to Zelda, Urbosa and her two tribeswomen walked off, heading to Gerudo Town.

While Zelda knew she would have little luck getting answers from Urbosa, Link was another matter, especially since he was in a hurry to start breaking camp. "Link? Why did Urbosa's words cause you alarm?"

Link chuckled, with a nervous smile. "W-Why do you think they did, Your Grace?"

"For one, I have _never_ heard you stammer before," Zelda said, as she started to smile. "And I never heard _how_ you knew I was at Divine Beast Vah Naboris, the other day! I told no-one outside of Gerudo Town…which is off-limits to men! How in the world did you find out?"

Link had since paled, looking as though he wished to be _anywhere_ else. "Is there any chance we could go back to you hating me, Your Grace?"

Every fiber of Zelda's being answered that question as one, and none of her being could stop the blush that crossed her face as she did. "No, my Hero. None whatsoever."

 _Next time:_

 _Moon (Or: In which our Princess learns the story behind her Hero's old military callsign, and her Hero introduces her to one of his old friends…of sorts.)_


End file.
